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S!TY  of  CALIFORNIA 
LIBRARY 

,s  ANGELES,  CALIF. 


THE  ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 


26 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO  PRESS 
CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 

Hgents 
THE  BAKER  &  TAYLOR  COMPANY 

NEW    YORK 

THE  CAMBRIDGE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 

LONDON    AND    EDINBURGH 


THE 

ELEMENTARY  COURSE 

IN  ENGLISH 

A  SYLLABUS 

WITH  GRADED  LISTS  AND 

REFERENCES 


JAMES  FLEMING  HOSIC,   Ph.M.    (Chicago) 

Head  of  the  Department  of  English 
Chicago    Teachers   College 


The  University  of  Chicago  Press 
Chicago,  Illinois 


Copyright  1908  By 
James  Fleming  Hosic 

Copyright  1911  By 
The  University  of  Chicago 


Published  April  191 1 
Second  Impression  April  1912 


Composed  and  Printed  By 

The  University  of   Chicago  Press 

Chicago,  Illinois,  U.S.A. 


L  £> 

PREFACE 

This  syllabus  grew  out  of  the  needs  of  a  particu- 
lar group  of  schools.  It  was  found  that  in  order 
to  co-operate  intelligently,  a  body  of  teachers 
requires  something  more  explicit  and,  at  the  same 
time,  more  general  than  the  brief  outline  courses 
of  study  which  boards  of  education  usually  provide. 
Hence  the  working  principles  which  had  proved 
most  important  in  actual  practice  were  compiled, 
and  to  these  were  added  suggestions  for  the  various 
grades,  brief  bibliographies,  and  a  series  of  graded 
and  annotated  lists  of  poems,  stories,  and  other 
material.  The  work  represents,  therefore,  experi- 
ence of  a  comprehensive  and  varied  character, 
and  is  offered  with  some  confidence  as  a  working 
guide  for  teachers  of  elementary  English. 

The  book  is  intended  primarily  as  a  manual  for 
the  teacher's  desk.  An  effort  has  been  made  to 
indicate  definitely  the  character  of  the  activities 
to  be  carried  on  in  the  several  grades,  and  to  ar- 
range a  collection  of  material  sufficiently  varied  to 
meet  changing  conditions  and  so  selected  and  listed 
as  to  be  readily  accessible.  The  system  of  index- 
ing, by  which  a  poem  or  story  can  easily  be  found 
in  one  or  more  of  a  small  number  of  volumes, 
which  the  teacher  can  reasonably  expect  to  have 


VI  PREFACE 

access  to,  is  believed  to  be  new,  and  has  been  found 
exceedingly  convenient. 

Great  care  has  been  exercised  to  include  only 
really  good  versions  of  the  traditional  stories. 
This  is  by  no  means  an  easy  matter,  for  the  freedom 
with  which  the  old  tales  have  been  garbled  by  well- 
meaning  but  inartistic  pedagogues  is  appalling. 
Truly  the  printing-press,  especially  that  of  the 
schoolbook  house,  is  the  deadly  enemy  of  the 
classical  literature  of  the  folk.  Cinderella  in  words 
of  one  syllable  and  sentences  of  four  words  is 
neither  delectable  nor  edifying,  and  a  strong 
animal  tale  like  the  famous  Story  of  the  Three  Bears 
loses  itself  completely  in  the  sentimental,  kinder- 
gartenized  Goldie  Locks,  now  too  widely  current. 
Classics  will  stand  the  test  of  time,  but  this  does 
not  insure  them,  it  seems,  against  the  tinkering 
of  education-mongers. 

It  is  hoped  that  classes  in  normal  schools, 
teachers  in  institutes,  teachers  and  principals  in 
individual  schools,  and  parents  in  club  meetings 
may  find  the  syllabus  convenient,  both  as  a  basis 
of  discussion  and  as  a  bibliography.  Indeed  the 
book  has  been  satisfactorily  used  in  these  ways. 
The  plan  of  the  work  forbade  the  elaboration  of 
any  topic;  hence  no  apology  is  offered  for  the 
dogmatic  tone  of  the  suggestions. 


PREFACE  vu 

The  lists  of  references  make  no  pretense  to  com- 
pleteness. They  are  intended  for  general  use, 
not  for  specialists.  The  latter  will,  no  doubt, 
prefer  to  compile  lists  of  their  own.  The  most 
comprehensive  and  generally  useful  references  are 
placed  first.  These  often  contain  extensive  bib- 
liographies, which  will  open  the  way  to  as  wide 
and  thorough  reading  upon  the  various  topics  as 
inclination  or  circumstances  may  prompt. 

It  remains  only  to  acknowledge  the  author's 
obvious  indebtedness  to  sundry  books,  pamphlets, 
and  courses  of  study,  many  of  which  are  named  as 
references,  and  especially  to  the  teachers  and 
principals  of  the  Chicago  public  schools.  It  was 
through  their  influence  that  the  material  was  first 
assembled,  and  it  is  because  of  their  kindly  appre- 
ciation that  the  work  is  now  offered  to  a  wider 
audience. 

Chicago  Teachers  College 
February  15,  191 1 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Introduction 3 

An  Outline  of  the  Theory  of  Instruction  in 

English  in  Elementary  Schools     ...       n 

Language  in  Education 11 

Composition — Oral  and  Written 14  ^ 

Word-Study 27 

Grammar 31 

Reading 35   \ 

Literature 43 

The  Course  in  English  by  Grades      ....       57 

Kindergarten 57 

First  Grade 63 

Second  Grade 73 

Third  Grade 81 

Fourth  Grade 89 

Fifth  Grade 97 

Sixth  Grade 105 

Seventh  Grade 113 

Eighth  Grade 121 

Appendix 131 

Books  for  Reading  to  the  Pupils 131 

Verse  Collections 135 

Prose  Collections 139 

Index 145 

ix 


INTRODUCTION 


INTRODUCTION 

Twenty-five  years  of  agitation  concerning  in- 
struction in  the  mother  tongue  has  brought  about 
one  definite  result,  namely,  that  everywhere  and 
unhesitatingly  a  large  place  on  the  daily  school 
program  is  reserved  for  it.  As  to  the  efficiency  of 
the  instruction  there  is  great  variance  of  opinion. 
Few  are  entirely  satisfied.  There  seems  to  be  a 
growing  suspicion  that  some  of  us  have  indulged  in 
sentiment  and  fine  talk  about  freedom  and  the 
unconscious  absorbing  of  good  English,  at  the 
expense  of  honest,  thorough  teaching.  The  spell- 
ing class  has  come  back,  grammar  is  "revived," 
literature  is  " analyzed" — but  with  a  difference. 
Not  technique  without  interest  or  deeper  educa- 
tional bearing,  but  technique  with  these,  is  the 
newer  aim.  Ground  has  been  gained,  and  the  way 
of  further  advance  seems  plain. 

We  must  turn  to  psychology  and  the  scientific 
method  for  tangible  aid  in  organizing  our  English 
work.  These  can  provide  the  explanation  of  our 
failures  and  indicate  the  right  way  to  our  goal 
Such  investigations  as  those  of  Huey  and  Dearborn 
into  the  actual  process  of  reading,  for  example, 
throw  a  flood  of  light  on  the  problem  of  teaching 
reading  and  will  aid  in  establishing  more  rational 

3 


4  ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

methods.  Similar  studies  of  the  process  of  acquir- 
ing the  oral  language,  of  spelling,  and  of  grammar 
are  hardly  less  suggestive  and  will  ultimately 
revolutionize  instruction  in  these  subjects.  Formal 
discipline  is  yielding  to  the  "pedagogical  child," 
but  both  must  give  way  for  the  real  boy  with  his 
real  needs  and  his  natural  manner  of  responding 
to  the  influences  about  him.  More  and  more 
the  school  must  become  typical  of  contemporary 
life. 

An  outline  of  English  to  guide  the  teachers  of  a 
school  is,  in  a  sense,  a  necessary  evil.  If  a  wise 
and  skilful  person  were  to  have  charge  of  a  group 
of  children  throughout  the  elementary  period,  she 
could  provide,  adapt,  and  devise  for  them  better 
than  any  general  outline  could  possibly  suggest. 
But  such  conditions  are  rarely  found.  Instead, 
classes  must  meet  several  teachers,  generally  a 
new  one  each  year;  the  teachers  of  a  large  school 
must  work  in  concert;  and  hence  arises  the  need 
of  a  plan  to  which  all  agree.  When  such  a  plan 
is  an  evolution — grows  out  of  the  experience  of 
many  teachers  laboring  together  for  a  number  of 
years — and  is  criticized  in  the  light  of  what  has  been 
done  elsewhere,  it  is  quite  likely  to  embody  much 
of  the  best  that  is  known  about  the  work  planned, 
and  may  come  reasonably  near  to  what  the  one 


INTRODUCTION  5 

ideally  wise  person  would  do  if  she  had  some  of 
the  children  all  of  the  time. 

But  English  as  a  subject  of  study  does  not  lend 
itself  readily  or  happily  to  definite  outlining.  The 
grading  and  prescription  of  literature,  in  the  present 
state  of  our  knowledge  at  least,  is  necessarily  arbi- 
trary, for  the  most  part,  and  may  defeat  the  pur- 
pose of  the  literary  study.  Much  great  literature  is 
simple  and  has  a  message  for  everybody.  Effect- 
ive reading,  moreover,  depends  largely  upon  the 
fitting  mood.  A  genuine  contact  of  mind  with 
book  is  much  more  readily  secured  at  some  times 
than  at  others.  At  most,  the  course  maker  should 
reserve  for  the  work  of  each  grade  a  few  selections 
which  all  children  should  know  and  which  have 
unfailingly  appealed  to  children  of  that  age.  In 
this  way  there  is  insured  to  each  teacher  a  body  of 
suitable  material  and  to  the  children  the  building- 
up  of  a  repertoire  of  classics  upon  which  taste  may 
gradually  be  formed  and  ideals  molded.  The 
winnowing  which  is  now  going  on  will  ultimately 
determine  what  these  inevitable  selections  are. 

The  case  of  language  presents  even  greater  diffi- 
culties. Language-study  is  not  an  end  in  itself 
and  not  an  object  of  conscious  interest  to  little 
children.  Yet  to  assign  certain  facts  of  language 
to  certain  grades  is  to  make  it  appear  that  the 


6  ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

mastery  of  these  facts,  independent  of  their  prac- 
tical uses,  is  the  aim.  Ideally,  pupils  should  master 
the  forms  of  language  as  they  require  them  for 
self-expression.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  real  mastery 
is  never  accomplished  in  any  other  way;  as  witness 
the  number  of  those  who  know  but  do  not  do. 
Marks  of  punctuation,  for  example,  should  be 
taught  as  the  pupil's  maturing  sentence  forms 
demand  them.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  true  that 
sentence  forms  are  mastered  to  some  extent  in 
learning  to  punctuate,  provided  that  the  pupil 
does  some  thinking  for  himself  in  the  process.  On 
the  whole,  specific  mention  of  certain  facts  and 
principles  of  language  in  the  course  for  a  given  grade 
must  be  taken  to  mean  that  those  items  of  tech- 
nique are  necessary  to  any  child  in  the  stage  of 
advancement  which  the  other  work  of  the  grade 
implies,  and  the  teacher  should  make  sure  that 
they  are  positively  and  usefully  known.  Succeed- 
ing teachers  should  not  permit  such  knowledge  to 
grow  dim. 

The  word  English  has  come  to  signify  a  group 
of  studies  called  language,  composition,  word- 
study,  reading,  literature,  grammar,  and  even 
penmanship.  For  clearness  it  is  worth  while  to 
observe  that  only  four  distinct  but  related  activities 
are   involved:     hearing,    speaking,    reading,    and 


INTRODUCTION  7 

writing  English.  The  essential  purpose  of  these 
studies,  moreover,  is  only  twofold :  to  become  able 
to  express  yourself  and  to  understand  others.  In 
a  large  sense  the  aim  is  simply  effectiveness  in  the 
use  of  the  mother  tongue.  The  reaching  of  this 
aim,  however,  is  sure  to  involve  a  large  acquisition 
of  knowledge,  growth  in  intellectual  power,  quick- 
ening of  artistic  and  ethical  perception,  and 
strengthening  of  moral  resolution.  The  values 
to  be  realized  will  be  more  fully  set  forth  in  the 
first  section  of  the  syllabus. 

Finally,  it  should  be  remarked  that  knowl- 
edge, enthusiasm,  and  a  sound  point  of  view  are 
equally  important.  Everyone  who  teaches  Eng- 
lish, whether  to  younger  or  to  older  children,  should 
be  and  remain  a  constant  student,  both  of  the 
problems  of  instruction  and  of  language  itself. 
The  teacher  must  preserve  the  student's  interest, 
and  strive  for  the  scholar's  breadth  and  reverent 
respect  for  the  subject.  She  will  hardly  fail  to 
love  and  observe  her  children,  and  to  study  their 
needs. 


OUTLINE  OF  THEORY 


AN   OUTLINE   OF   THE   THEORY  OF   IN- 
STRUCTION   IN    ENGLISH    IN 
ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS 

LANGUAGE  IN  EDUCATION 

I.  In  any  statement  of  educational  aims  and 
values,  language  must  be  given  a  large  place.  The 
fundamental  fact  is  that  mind  grows  through  its 
own  activity,  which  is  aroused  by  stimuli  in  the 
environment,  and  that  mental  activity  is  largely 
conditioned  by  language.  Mental  development, 
therefore,  is  first  in  importance.  Other  values  are 
knowledge,  aesthetic  pleasure,  social  power,  social 
solidarity,  and  social  advance.  Language  is  the 
most  useful  of  all  tools. 

II.  The  English  language  has  peculiarities  which 
make  it  both  easy  and  difficult  to  learn.  Inflec- 
tion, for  example,  is  easy;  spelling  is  difficult. 

III.  The  school  is  but  one  of  many  factors  at 
work.  In  some  respects  the  influence  of  the  home 
and  the  street  is  stronger.  Few  rise  far  above  the 
level  of  the  community. 

IV.  The  present  conditions  are  distinctly  favor- 
able for  good  work  in  English.  The  importance 
of  the  study  is  now  recognized,  and  teachers  are 
making  ever-increasing  efforts  to  prepare  them- 


12         ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

selves  for  a  task  admittedly  difficult.  A  definite, 
uniform,  and  settled  policy  as  to  method,  and 
especially  as  to  material,  is  yet  to  be  developed. 

V.  Considerable  advance  has  been  made  in 
observing  and  recording  the  actual  linguistic  con- 
dition of  pupils  at  the  time  of  entering  school. 
Naturally  these  vary  widely,  but  the  modern 
teacher  is  ready  to  make  an  intelligent  effort  to 
begin  with  little  children  at  the  point  to  which  the 
home  has  brought  them. 

VI.  Learning  English  involves  four  fundamental 
processes:  hearing,  speaking,  reading,  and  writing. 
The  practical  result  is  twofold:  ability  to  express 
oneself  and  to  understand  others.  To  this  should 
be  added  some  knowledge  and  appreciation  of 
literature.  The  material  and  exercises  for  use  in 
school  are  commonly  grouped  under  such  heads 
as  composition,  word-study,  grammar,  reading, 
and  literature.  Each  of  these  subjects  deserves 
consideration  in  turn. 

References 

O'Shea:  Linguistic  Development  and  Education  (bibliog- 
raphy). 

:  Education  as  Adjustment,  pp.  214-22. 

Chubb :   The  Teaching  of  English. 

Carpenter,  Baker,  and  Scott:  The  Teaching  of  English 
(bibliography). 


LANGUAGE  IN  EDUCATION  13 

Fouillee:  Education  from  a  National  Standpoint. 

Laurie:  Lectures  on  Language. 

Colby:  Literature  and  Life  in  School. 

Welton:   Principles  and  Methods  of  Teaching,  pp.  101-19. 

Judd:  Psychology. 

Morgan:  Psychology  for  Teachers. 

Dewey:  How  We  Think,  pp.  170-87. 

Harris:  Psychologic  Foundations  of  Education. 

Dewey:    "The  Primary  Education  Fetich,"  Forum,  May, 

1898. 
Pearson,  et  al.:     "The  Elementary   School    Curriculum, 

First  Year,"  Teachers  College  Recor d,  January,  1906. 
Proceedings  of  the  National  Education  Association,  the 

Pedagogical  Seminary,  and  other  journals  of  education. 

(See  the  indexes  to  the  periodicals.) 


COMPOSITION— ORAL  AND  WRITTEN 

All  effort  toward  expression  in  words  is,  in  a 
broad  sense,  composition.  Hence  the  term  in- 
cludes the  fragmentary  and  informal  expressions 
heard  throughout  the  day,  as  well  as  the  complete 
treatment  of  a  topic.  All  language  exercises 
should  look  to  some  definite  result  in  the  daily 
activity  of  the  pupils.  The  oral  language  deserves 
even  more  attention  than  the  written,  and  should 
be  measured  by  standards  equally  high.  Neither 
oral  nor  written  language  should  be  permitted  to 
lag  behind  the  child's  needs  nor  fail  to  contribute 
its  share  to  his  intellectual  growth. 

1.  The  aims  of  the  teacher  of  language  include 
the  following: 

i .  To  make  the  free  expression  of  ideas  a  pleasure 
to  the  children. 

2.  To  arouse  a  desire  on  the  part  of  the  pupils 
to  keep  the  national  language  pure. 

3.  To  develop  ideas  and  orderly  habits  of  think- 
ing. 

4.  To  secure  ease,  correctness,  and  adequacy  of 
expression. 

5.  To  aid  the  individual  to  overcome  his  special 
faults. 

14 


COMPOSITION  15 

6.  To  equip  all  with  the  information  and  train- 
ing necessary  to  meet  the  actual  demands  of  life. 

II.  Certain  principles  of  success  should  be  borne 
in  mind: 

1.  Language  development  is  special,  not  gen- 
eral. To  be  effective,  language  exercises  must 
present  a  variety  of  typical  situations  in  which 
expression  springs  from  a  felt  need.  Formal  dis- 
cipline in  language  does  not  adequately  prepare  for 
life. 

2.  Imitation,  largely  unconscious,  is  the  chief 
method  of  assimilation,  particularly  in  the  case  of 
younger  children  and  particularly  in  the  case  of 
oral  language. 

3.  Hence  the  strongest  school  influence  in  lan- 
guage is  that  of  the  group  to  which  a  child  belongs. 
The  teacher's  task  is  largely  that  of  helping  the 
children  to  train  each  other. 

4.  Habits  of  order  and  consecutiveness  are  in- 
stilled chiefly  by  the  teacher's  presentation,  ques- 
tions, and  directions. 

5.  The  use  of  good  English  is  a  habit.  A  judi- 
cious but  persistent  effort  to  establish  it  must  be 
made  throughout  the  day's  work.  First,  because 
the  combined  influence  of  the  home  and  the  com- 
munity often  exceeds  that  of  the  school  and  is 
frequently  vitiating;    secondly,  because  otherwise 


1 6        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

only  the  stimulus  of  the  English  class  will  produce 
the  desired  reaction,  while  elsewhere  the  habit  of 
using  poor  English  will  assert  itself. 

6.  Language  is  an  art.  Nothing  but  intelligent, 
eager,  long-continued  practice  under  guidance  and 
criticism  can  bring  success  in  it. 

7.  Strong  and  effective  motives  for  expression 
should  be  appealed  to.  These  include:  (1)  the 
desire  to  give  pleasure  and  profit  to  others;  (2)  the 
desire  to  express  and  support  an  opinion;  (3)  the 
desire  to  enjoy  for  oneself  the  mastery  of  an  art. 

8.  It  is  idle  to  speak  of  children's  remaining 
unconscious  of  form.  Language  is  made  up  of 
forms.  So  long  as  pupils  study  forms  because  they 
need  to  use  them,  such  study  is  educative  and 
defensible.  Isolation  is  indeed  to  be  condemned. 
The  idea  to  be  expressed  should,  of  course,  be  the 
chief  interest. 

9.  Originality  springs  from  first-hand  observa- 
tion and  the  free  play  of  the  imagination.  Prig- 
gishness  and  bookish  insincerity  are  often  mistaken 
for  it. 

10.  Facts  and  principles  of  language  and  com- 
position should  be  taught  and  used — taught 
through  use  and  when  they  are  needed  for  use. 
Explicit  statement  should  not  be  expected  or 
required  earlier  than  the  fourth  year.    There  is 


COMPOSITION  17 

no  valid  excuse  for  lack  of  thoroughness,  however, 
and  knowledge  once  gained  should  never  afterward 
be  allowed  to  fall  into  disuse. 

II.  Every  part  or  aspect  of  the  work  in  English 
should  be  related  to  some  or  all  of  the  others  and 
as  far  as  possible  to  all  of  the  activities  of  the 
school. 

III.  The  means  to  be  employed  may  be  grouped 
under  three  heads: 

1.  Impression — presenting  literature  by  reading 
or  telling,  with  the  accompanying  comment  and 
discussion.  This  leads  to  wider  interests,  a  larger 
and  better  word-stock,  and  higher  standards  of 
expression. 

2.  Expression  —  conversation,  dramatization, 
topical  recitation,  and  original  composition.  Ex- 
pressional  activity  conditions  all  growth  in  lan- 
guage. 

3.  Formal  instruction — the  criticism  and  correc- 
tion of  oral  and  written  language,  instruction  in 
the  principles  of  composition,  drill  in  the  correction 
of  errors,  and  exercises  to  establish  good  use  in 
punctuation,  spelling,  grammar,  and  other  elements 
of  technique. 

IV.  Systematic  instruction  in  language,  par- 
ticularly in  the  upper  grades,  requires  a  special 
period,  which,  wherever  possible,  should  be  con- 


1 8        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

secutive  with  the  period  for  literature  in  order  to 
permit  of  adjustments  in  the  time  for  written 
work  and  the  use  of  one  for  illustration  of  the  other. 
Such  a  period  should  be  devoted  (i)  to  the  induc- 
tive study  of  principles  and  to  practice  in  the  ap- 
plication of  them;  (2)  to  the  study  of  examples  of 
effective  composition  in  order  to  set  up  proper 
standards  and  to  learn  the  methods  of  the  art;  and 
(3)  to  practice  in  expression  and  to  correction  and 
criticism,  the  material  to  be  drawn  from  the  whole 
range  of  the  pupils'  knowledge  and  interests,  and 
with  the  purpose  either  to  increase  knowledge  or 
to  give  pleasure.  The  activities  may  be  further 
specified  as  follows: 

1.  Conversation. — This  is  not  merely  informal 
recitation.  It  is  free  exchange  and  actual  con- 
tribution. To  have  it,  freedom  and  good  will 
must  be  established.  The  teacher  should  guide 
it,  however,  and  prevent  mere  babbling.  Her  op- 
portunity lies  in  leading  the  children  to  see  rela- 
tions where  they  have  seen  only  facts,  and  in  help- 
ing them  to  the  words  and  idioms  they  need.  A 
few  worthy  topics  will  be  mentioned  specifically 
in  the  outline  for  primary  grades. 

2.  Report  and  discussion. — Pupils  should  learn 
to  put  a  matter  of  observation,  experience,  read- 
ing, or  opinion  clearly  and  effectively  before  the 


COMPOSITION  19 

class.  Training  in  speaking  on  one's  feet  in  a 
composed,  pleasing,  and  forcible  manner  is  well 
worth  the  effort  necessary  to  secure  it,  and  can 
hardly  begin  too  early.  Such  exercises  should 
often  be  impromptu  in  character. 

3.  The  oral  story. — (a)  The  story  is  naturally  a 
valuable  means  of  instruction  for  little  children. 
It  is  a  primitive  and  popular  mode  of  thinking;  it 
awakens  the  imagination  and  may  train  it  to 
rational  processes;  it  conveys  much  knowledge  of 
men  and  things,  cultivates  the  taste  for  literature, 
and  exercises  the  ethical  judgment.  As  a  means 
of  discipline  in  language  it  (1)  affords  training  in 
unity  and  sequence;  (2)  increases  and  improves 
the  vocabulary  through  the  appropriation  of  the 
words  of  the  author  for  ideas  which  the  story  has 
awakened;  (3)  advances  facility  in  pronunciation 
and  in  the  use  of  English  idiom  and  the  English 
sentence;  (4)  develops  power  to  hold  to  a  train  of 
thought,  and  (5)  strengthens  the  memory  for 
imaginative  details.  One  may  add  that  oral  re- 
production is  only  an  aid  to  original  composition, 
never  a  substitute  for  it,  and  that  unless  the  right 
sort  of  stories  is  handled  according  to  an  effective 
plan  the  exercise  is  nearly  worthless. 

b)  Stories  suitable  for  retelling  by  children  are 
not  numerous.     Such  stories  should  be  (1)  brief, 


20        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

(2)  simple  in  structure  and  motive,  and  (3)  full  of 
action  and  imagination;  (4)  the  language  appeal- 
ing to  the  senses;  (5)  the  story  moving  steadily 
forward;  (6)  each  incident  fully  developed;  (7) 
the  ending  definite  and  satisfying;  (8)  the  appeal 
to  the  emotions  direct  and  vivid.  For  the  young- 
est children,  folk-tale,  carefully  selected,  best  ful- 
fils the  conditions.  Later,  use  may  be  made  of 
the  fables,  the  myths  and  legendary  stories,  and, 
to  a  limited  extent,  of  stories  by  modern  authors, 
particularly  stories  of  animals.  With  regard  to 
all  traditional  stories  the  greatest  care  should  be 
exercised  to  secure  the  best  possible  version. 

c)  The  telling  of  stories  is  an  art.  It  implies  a 
good  knowledge  of  literary  forms  and  elements  and 
a  lively  interest  in  traditional  literature  for  its  own 
sake.  The  artistic  purpose  and  structure  of  each 
story  must  be  clearly  apprehended.  Such  changes 
and  omissions  must  be  decided  upon  as  presenta- 
tion to  the  ear  may  require.  In  the  actual  telling, 
the  narrative  must  be  made  to  live  in  the  imagi- 
nation as  a  whole  made  up  of  definite  literary 
units. 

d)  Retelling  by  the  children  should  usually  be 
asked  for  only  after  repeated  hearings.  Only  so 
can  the  story  be  assimilated  and  the  pupil  become 
able  to  render  it  as  his  story.     The  meanings, 


COMPOSITION  21 

associations,  and  sequence  of  the  story  should  be 
developed  by  questions  and  discussion,  and  occa- 
sionally an  outline  of  the  incidents  may  be  worked 
out  and  placed  before  the  class  or  written  down  by 
each  pupil,  or  both. 

e)  If  worked  out  by  the  children  themselves, 
dramatization  is  a  useful  form  of  reproduction  in 
the  primary  grades,  but  it  should  never  degenerate 
into  a  mere  exercise  for  entertainment.  This  form 
of  expression  should  gradually  be  replaced  in 
grades  above  the  second  by  the  reading  of  "parts" 
and  by  the  arranging  of  plays  in  writing. 

3.  Learning  poetry  by  heart. — Many  of  the  shorter 
poems  in  the  literature  course  should  be  learned 
by  heart.  Aside  from  the  gain  in  appprecia- 
tion,  the  expressional  value  is  considerable,  par- 
ticularly if  proper  care  has  been  exercised  in 
making  vivid  the  pictures  and  associations  of 
the  words  and  the  meaning  of  the  whole.  Read- 
ing of  the  poems  may  begin  even  in  the  first 
grade,  and  the  copying  of  them  in  books  kept 
for  the  purpose  in  the  third.  Mere  repetition 
of  the  words  of  the  poem  should  never  be  per- 
mitted; memorizing  and  reciting  should  mean 
memorizing  and  reciting  the  thought,  and  a 
rational  method  of  doing  this  should  be  de- 
veloped.   Attention  may  well  be  directed,  in  the 


22         ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

higher  grades,  to  the  fitness  of  the  words  for  their 
peculiar  office. 

4.  Written  composition. — This  is  a  form  of  ex- 
pression which  involves  many  factors  and  which 
usually  offers  much  difficulty  to  the  learner.  Pen- 
manship, spelling,  indentation,  capitals,  marks  of 
punctuation,  and  a  more  formal  structure  than 
that  of  oral  language  combine  to  hinder  a  free 
play  of  ideas.  Failure  results  from  lack  of  oral 
preparation,  from  attempting  too  much,  from 
improper  subject-matter,  and  from  over-insistence 
on  perfection  of  mechanical  details.  Because 
exercises  are  long  they  are  too  infrequent  and  are 
not  properly  criticized.  Finally,  pupils  very  often 
lack  interest  or  will  not  take  pains.  The  following 
is  suggested: 

a)  That  genuine  motives  for  writing  be  brought 
into  play.    Letters  are  particularly  easy  to  motive. 

b)  That  the  topics  chosen  be  such  as  have  in- 
terest to  the  pupils — their  work,  their  play,  their 
fancies.  The  assignment  should  provide  a  defi- 
nite problem  which  the  pupil  can  work  out. 

c)  That,  generally  speaking,  writing  be  called 
for  only  when  the  topic  is  well  in  hand.  In  gen- 
eral, discussion,  oral  treatment,  and  blackboard 
work  may  well  precede  the  attempt  to  make  a 
permanent   record   on   paper.    Nevertheless,   the 


COMPOSITION  23 

freedom  of  individual  effort  must  be  preserved, 
and  the  value  of  impromptu  exercises  should  be 
recognized. 

d)  That  pupils  should  early  learn  to  work  to  a 
plan.  As  far  as  practicable  the  plan  or  outline 
should  be  their  own,  made  and  used  by  the  indi- 
vidual as  a  guide  to  composing  and  recompos- 
ing.  The  connection  between  such  outlining  and 
instruction  in  paragraphing  is  close  and  impor- 
tant. 

e)  That  correction  and  criticism  should  be  sys- 
tematic and  progressive.  Typical  items  should  be 
made  class  exercises  and  the  pupils  left  to  make 
specific  corrections  for  themselves.  A  few  things 
only  should  be  attempted  at  once,  often  only  a 
single  thing.  Pupils  should  learn  how  to  criticize 
a  first  draft  for  themselves  and  how  to  offer  definite 
suggestions  on  the  work  of  classmates.  The 
blackboard  should  be  utilized.  Many  composi- 
tions should  be  read  to  the  class,  sometimes  by  the 
teacher  and  sometimes  by  the  writers.  In  this 
way  pupils  may  learn  to  judge  the  quality  of  writ- 
ing by  its  appeal  to  the  ear. 

5.  Technical  work. — The  place  of  this  has  been 
indicated  (in  II,  8  and  10).  It  has  its  beginning 
in  the  feeling  that  one  must  do  his  work  as  well 
as  possible.    The  method  may  include: 


24        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

a)  Observation  of  forms  and  usages  in  the  read- 
ing. 

b)  Copying  of  poetry  in  the  literature  class,  and 
of  letter  forms  and  dialogue. 

c)  Dictation  exercises  to  fix  certain  specific 
points.  Except  for  testing,  the  passage  should  be 
studied  beforehand  and  compared  afterward. 
The  class  should  drill,  not  mark  time. 

d)  Blackboard  exercises  to  present  facts  quickly 
to  the  eyes  of  all  and  to  give  practice  in  correction. 

e)  Requiring  pupils  to  use  what  they  know. 

/)  Making  common  errors  evident  to  the  whole 
class  and  correcting  them  by  emphasizing  the  righl 
forms  and  by  arousing  a  class  pride  in  using  them. 

g)  Occasional  lessons  in  English  grammar. 

References 
i.  The  more  theoretical  and  general  works  are: 

O'Shea:    Linguistic  Development  and  Education   (bibliog- 
raphy). 

Chubb:  The  Teaching  of  English,  chaps,  iv,  viii,  xi,  and  xii. 

Carpenter,  Baker,  and  Scott:    The  Teaching  of  English, 
pp.  121-43  (bibliography). 

Wei  ton:  Principles  and  Methods  of  Teaching,  pp.  164-84. 

McMurry:  Special  Method  in  Language. 

Kirkpatrick:   Fundamentals  of  Child-Study,  chap.  viii. 

:  "How  Children  Learn  to  Talk,"  Science,  Septem- 
ber, 1 891. 


COMPOSITION  25 

Barnum:  "Dramatic  Instinct  in  the  Elementary  School," 
Teachers  College  Record,  March,  1907. 

Hartog:  The  Writing  of  English. 

Clapp  and  Huston:  The  Conduct  of  Composition  Work  in 
Grammar  Grades. 

Spalding:    The  Problem  of  Elementary  Composition. 

Boas:  Report  of  a  Committee  on  English  to  the  Board  of 
Education,  London,  1909. 

Proceedings  of  the  National  Education  Association,  Educa- 
tion, Educational  Review,  School  Review,  and  other 
periodicals  (see  annual  indexes). 

2.  On  the  use  of  the  oral  story: 
St.  John:  Stories  and  Story-Telling. 
Bryant,  How  to  Tell  Stories. 

:  Stories  to  Tell.     (Introduction.) 

MacClintock:  Literature  in  the  Elementary  School. 
McMurry:  Method  in  Primary  Reading  and  Oral  Work. 
Earhart:    "The  Story,"  Teachers  College  Record,  March, 

1907. 
Sully,  Studies  of  Childhood;  and  Children's  Ways. 
Allison  and  Perdue:    The  Place  of  the  Story  in  Primary 

Education. 
Vostrovsky:  "A  Study  of  Children's  Own  Stories,"  Studies 

in  Education,  Vol.  I,  pp.  15-17. 

3.  On  the  organization  of  material  the  following  language 
books  are  suggestive: 

Perdue  and  Griswold :  Language  through  Nature,  Literature, 

and  Art. 
Harris  and  Gilbert:  Guide  Books  to  English. 
Robins  and  Row:  Essential  Studies  in  English. 


26        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

Buehler  and  Hotchkiss:  Modem  English  Lessons. 

Gordy  and  Mead:  Language  Lessons. 

Cooley  and  Webster:   The  New  Course  in  English. 

Smith:  Longman's  English  Lessons. 

Rankin:  Everyday  English. 

Maxwell :  Speaking  and  Writing. 

4.  For  deskbooks  the  following  are  recommended: 
Wooley:  Handbook  of  Composition. 

:   The  Mechanics  of  Writing. 

Bigelow :  Handbook  of  Punctuation. 

Lewis :  A  First  Book  in  Writing  English. 

Baldwin:   The  Expository  Sentence  and  Paragraph. 

Thomas:  Composition  and  Rhetoric. 

Thorndike :  The  Elements  of  Rhetoric  and  Composition. 

Bates:  Talks  on  the  Writing  of  English. 

Dye:  Letters  and  Letter  Writing. 

Fernald:   Synonyms,  Antonyms,  and  Prepositions. 

Note. — References  on  picture-study  will  be  found  at  the  end 
of  the  section  on  literature. 


WORD-STUDY 

1.  The  term  word-study  is  a  convenient  heading 
for  discussion  rather  than  the  title  of  a  subject  of 
study  to  be  pursued  consecutively  and  independ- 
ently throughout  the  course.  It  includes  oral  and 
written  spelling,  phonics,  word  composition,  defini- 
tion, synonyms,  dictation,  the  use  of  the  dictionary, 
etc. 

II.  Phonics. — i.  The  study  of  elementary  sounds 
should  begin  when  a  small  reading  vocabulary  of 
representative  words  has  been  acquired.  It  has 
immediate  application  in  reading  but  should  con- 
stitute a  separate  exercise. 

2.  No  diacritics  need  be  used.  The  pupils 
should  gain  the  facts  from  observation  and  use 
them. 

3.  Correct  pronunciation  will  result  from  care- 
ful hearing  rather  than  from  attention  to  the  organs 
of  speech.  There  should  be  frequent  drills,  how- 
ever, to  secure  accuracy  and  pure  tone. 

III.  Spelling. — 1.  Good  spelling  is  the  result  of 
good  pronunciation,  a  habit  of  imaging  words 
accurately,  and  care  in  writing.  The  words  most 
often  misspelled  are  usually  those  which  have  been 
longest  in  the  speaking  vocabulary. 

27 


28        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

2.  Oral  spelling,  drill  on  lists,  grouping,  the 
learning  of  rules,  the  making  of  word  books,  all 
have  value.  The  test  of  actual  life,  however,  is 
the  ability  to  spell  words  correctly  in  their  context. 

3.  Spelling  must  have  definite  attention.  The 
unphonetic  character  of  English  spelling,  com- 
bined with  the  fact  that,  in  reading,  words  are 
seen  as  wholes,  makes  the  spelling  class  necessary. 
Yet  it  should  be  remembered  that  good  spelling 
is  largely  a  by-product. 

4.  No  spelling-book  can  wholly  replace  the  lists 
prepared  by  the  teacher.  At  most  it  is  a  guide 
and  a  convenience.  It  should  contain  no  markings 
or  other  changes  in  the  normal  appearance  of  the 
written  or  printed  word.  Syllabifying  should 
mainly  be  confined  to  the  oral  exercises. 

IV.  Word  compostion. — 1 .  The  systematic  study 
of  derivation  is  of  doubtful  value  in  the  lower 
grades.  The  knowledge  of  the  pupils  is  too  limited 
to  permit  of  safe  generalization. 

2.  Nevertheless,  an  interest  in  the  life-history  of 
words  should  be  aroused,  and,  as  opportunity 
offers,  useful  facts  as  to  the  meaning  and  applica- 
tion of  prefixes,  suffixes,  and  common  elements 
should  be  taught. 

V.  Dictation. — 1.  The  most  judicious  discrimi- 
nation should  be  exercised  in  the  matter  of  direct- 


WORD-STUDY  29 

ing  the  attention  of  children  to  words  which 
they  should  acquire.  Priggishness  and  affectation 
readily  result  from  the  effort  to  use  words. 

2.  But  the  assimilation  of  needed  words,  particu- 
larly from  reading,  requires  attention  to  them. 
The  learner  must  have  a  sense  of  their  fitness  and 
an  occasion  to  use  them  in  self-expression. 

3.  Reasonable  accuracy  should  be  demanded  and 
secured. 

4.  Dictation  should  be  used  only  as  a  necessary 
means  to  some  specific  end. 

VI.  Use  of  the  dictionary. — 1.  When  the  dic- 
tionary is  brought  into  daily  use,  the  principle  of 
diacritics  should  be  taught  and  the  habit  of 
cautious,  intelligent  use  of  the  book  carefully  de- 
veloped. 

2.  The  learning  of  definitions  from  the  diction- 
ary is  an  unprofitable  exercise.  The  children 
might  better  strive  to  form  their  own.  Compari- 
son afterward  would  then  result  in  actual  knowl- 
edge and  greater  accuracy. 

References 

on  PHONICS 
Wyld:  Historical  Study  of  the  Mother  Tongue. 
Sheldon:  Introduction  to  Webster's  Dictionary. 
Lounsbury :  The  Standard  of  Pronunciation. 
:  The  Standard  of  Usage. 


30        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

Jones :   The  Technique  of  Speech. 

Everts :    The  Speaking  Voice. 

Van  Liew  and  Lucas:  Phonics  and  Reading. 

Robbins:  Phonetics  for  Schools. 

Summers :  A  Manual  for  Teachers  of  Reading. 

ON   SPELLING 

O'Shea:  Linguistic  Development  and  Education. 
Cornman:  Spelling  in  the  Elementary  School. 
Thorndike:  Principles  of  Teaching,  pp.  268-73. 
Bagley:  Classroom  Management,  pp.  238-42. 
Gregory:   The  Rationale  of  Spelling. 
Cody:  Word-Study  in  the  Schools. 
Clodd:  The  Story  of  the  Alphabet. 

Emerson:  Outlines  of  the  History  of  the  English  Language. 
Manley,  Sabin,  Alexander,  Bowen  and  others:    Spelling- 
Books. 

ON   ETYMOLOGY 

Skeat:   The  Principles  of  English  Etymology. 

Greenough  and  Kittredge:    Words  and   Their   Ways    in 

English  Speech. 
Bradley:  The  Making  of  English. 
Wyld:  The  Growth  of  English. 
Emerson:  The  History  of  the  English  Language. 
Anderson :  A  Study  of  English  Words. 
Webster's,  the  Standard,  and  the  Century  Dictionaries. 


ENGLISH  GRAMMAR 

I.  Grammar  should  be  taught  in  the  elementary 
school  chiefly  for  its  practical  value,  and  it  should 
be  applied.  Grammatical  parsing  and  analysis, 
as  isolated  exercises,  seem  to  bear  little  or  no  rela- 
tion to  correctness  in  speech  and  writing.  (See 
the  account  of  Mr.  Hoyt's  investigations.) 

II.  The  method  of  grasping  the  facts  should  be 
inductive,  but  the  natural  limitations  of  children's 
minds  in  pursuing  scientific  investigations  must 
be  respected.  The  material  is  intangible,  and 
readily  baffles  the  efforts  of  immature  children. 

III.  Children  should  not  be  made  to  suppose 
that  they  or  anyone  can  find  a  logical  explanation 
for  all  grammatical  forms  or  usages.  Many  expres- 
sions are,  in  a  sense,  illogical.  History  alone  can 
account  for  many  idioms  of  language.  The  at- 
tempts which  are  sometimes  made  to  psychologize 
grammatical  definitions  and  explanations  violate 
the  intellectual  sincerity  of  the  children  and  make 
them  none  the  wiser. 

IV.  Attention  should  be  directed  to  the  func- 
tions of  the  various  parts  and  elements  of  the  sen- 
tence and  to  the  order  and  arrangement  of  words. 
Such  work  requires  careful  thought,  and,  at  the 

31 


32         ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

same  time,  bears  directly  upon  reading  and  com- 
position. 

V.  During  and  after  the  fourth  year,  principles 
of  grammar  should  be  taught  whenever  the  pupils 
can  profit  by  them  in  their  daily  experience.  How- 
ever simple  the  fact,  it  should  be  designated  by 
the  standard  terminology. 

VI.  The  continued  use  of  single  sentences 
chosen  to  present  certain  grammatical  forms,  to 
the  exclusion  of  connected  discourse,  is  to  be 
avoided.  The  application  of  grammatical  knowl- 
edge is  naturally  to  the  sentence  in  context.  The 
best  of  all  material  is  that  provided  by  the  pupil's 
own  compositions. 

VII.  When  the  members  of  a  class  see  clearly 
what  a  certain  grammatical  relation  is,  they  should 
have  liberal  opportunity  to  choose  or  construct 
good  sentences  to  illustrate  it.  Much  excellent 
practice  in  punctuation  may  accompany  such 
exercises. 

VIII.  A  textbook  in  grammar  should  be  mainly 
a  collection  of  good  examples  of  idiomatic  English 
as  it  is  spoken  and  written  today.  The  grammar 
of  Milton,  Wordsworth,  Thackeray,  and  other 
English  classics  may  well  be  deferred. 

IX.  Formal  grammar-study  should  begin  with 
the  sentence  as  a  whole  and  proceed  analytically. 


GRAMMAR  33 

This  is  not  only  the  order  natural  to  the  learner 
but  it  is  pre-eminently  the  order  suited  to  a  lan- 
guage which  is  slightly  dependent  upon  inflection. 
To  begin  with  the  learning  of  paradigms  is  a  blun- 
der inherited  from  Latinized  grammars.  In  no 
case  should  the  practical  needs  of  the  class  be 
sacrificed  for  the  sake  of  following  out  the  logical 
order  of  topics  arranged  by  some  textbook  writer. 
X.  Diagrams  should  never  become  more  than 
clear,  graphic  representation  of  relations  already 
perceived,  and  should  never  require  a  key. 

References 

Chubb:  The  Teaching  of  English. 

Carpenter,  Baker,  and  Scott:  The  Teaching  of  English  (bib- 
liography) . 

Barbour:  The  Teaching  of  English  Grammar. 

Hoyt:  "Studies  in  the  Teaching  of  English  Grammar," 
Teachers  College  Record,  November,  1906. 

Boas:  Report  on  English  to  the  Board  of  Education,  London, 
1909. 

Sheffield:  "Rational  Study  of  English  Grammar,"  School 
Review,  November,  1910. 

Leonard:  Grammar  and  Its  Reasons  (bibliography). 

Fernald:  A  Working  Grammar  of  the  English  Language. 

Lounsbury :  History  of  the  English  Language. 

Emerson:  History  of  the  English  Language. 

Mead :  The  English  Language  and  Its  Grammar. 

Buehler:  A  Modern  English  Grammar. 


34        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

Scott  and  Buck:  A  Brief  English  Grammar. 
Lewis:  Applied  English  Grammar. 

See  the  list  of  language  books  above  and  the  bibliography 
in  Carpenter,  Baker,  and  Scott;  also  various  periodicals. 


READING 

I.  Reading  in  the  higher  grades  of  the  elementary 
school  is  practically  a  form  of  literary  study  and 
will  be  so  considered.  By  "reading"  is  meant 
learning  to  read.  This  includes  (i)  the  acquiring 
of  a  sufficient  mastery  of  symbols  and  of  the  pro- 
cess of  reading  so  that  meaning  can  be  gathered 
with  comfort  and  facility,  and  (2)  the  establishing 
of  sound  and  correct  habits  of  interpreting  the 
printed  page. 

II.  Too  much  time  is  often  devoted  to  reading 
in  the  primary  grades.  The  physical  strain  of 
reading  is  considerable.  The  process  of  learning, 
moreover,  can  hardly  be  made  so  fruitful  an  experi- 
ence in  itself  as  work  in  oral  literature,  nature 
study,  and  manual  training.  Pupils  who  tell 
stories,  learn  poetry,  and  converse  about  nature 
and  other  objects  of  experience  actually  make 
more  and  better  progress  than  those  who  drill 
excessively  on  reading,  especially  in  case  these 
various  activities  are  systematically  related  to 
reading. 

III.  Both  the  method  and  the  material  of  pri- 
mary reading  depend  upon  one's  view  of  what 
reading    is.     Recent    psychological    investigation 

35 


36        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

has  thrown  much  light  upon  the  matter  and  goes 
far  to  confirm  the  practice  of  the  majority  of  pro- 
gressive teachers,  who  have  reached  their  position 
through  common-sense  and  experience.  Among 
the  important  points  are : 

i.  The  sentence  is  the  unit  in  reading,  "a  simul- 
taneous ancPsuccessive  whole."  Many  less  im- 
portant words  are  ordinarily  not  in  consciousness 
at  all,  but  throughout  there  is  a  sense  of  relation- 
ship, an  anticipation  of  context.  Hence  children 
should  form  their  reading  habit  upon  the  sentence. 
But  attention  must  be  called  to  many  of  tne  com- 
ponent words  if  each  is  to  become  a  part  of  the 
reading  vocabulary.  This  must  not,  however, 
prevent  continuity  of  vocal  utterance.  Oral  read- 
ing must  be  by  phrases,  clauses,  sentences,  never 
word  by  word.  Beginners  should  master  each 
sentence  before  attempting  to  read  it  aloud. 

2.  Reading  involves  a  sort  of  "inner  speech." 
There  are  few  who  do  not  have  at  least  a  dim  con- 
sciousness of  the  articulate  sounds  of  which  the 
sentence  is  made  up.  The  most  rapid  readers  are 
most  nearly  "eye-minded,"  least  hindered,  that 
is,  by  the  individual  words.  Children  should, 
therefore,  have  much  practice  in  silent  reading. 
It  does  not  follow  that  practice  in  reading  to  others 
should  be  omitted. 


READING  37 

3.  The  process  of  getting  the  thought  and  ex- 
pressing it  is  a  very  complex  one,  involving  a  series 
of  visual -auditory -associative -motor  reactions. 
Defective  organs  are  often  the  cause  of  slow  prog- 
ress. The  teacher  must  observe  each  child  as  an 
individual  and  seek  to  establish  a  well-balanced 
habit  of  both  silent  and  oral  reading.  The  need  of 
eclectic,  method  and  of  an  abundance  of  suitable 
material  is  evident.  The  relation  of  drawing  and 
writing  to  reading  should  be  carefully  considered. 
Finally,  the  physical  limitations  should  be  scrupu- 
lously respected,  and  every  effort  made  to  preserve 
healthful  conditions.  Attention  is  called  particu- 
larly to  the  light  upon  the  blackboard. 

IV.  A  "method"  in  reading  which  requires  a 
manual  of  directions  is  an  impertinence.  Many, 
perhaps  a  majority,  of  the  children  of  English- 
speaking  parents  make  a  fair  beginning  of  reading 
at  home.  Every  teacher  of  reading  should  con- 
sider carefully  how  far  these  informal  methods  of 
learning  to  read  can  be  employed  in  school.  Few 
intelligent  children  who  see  others  reading  will 
fail  to  learn,  if  plenty  of  attractive  books  are  within 
reach.  The  primary  school  is  not  so  much  in 
need  of  new  and  carefully  designed  methods  as  of 
a  better  library. 

V.  Reading  requires  a  knowledge  of  the  sounds 


38        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

of  syllables  and  letters.  Since  the  first  stages  of 
reading  involve  only  the  child's  spoken  vocabulary, 
he  should  early  be  taught  the  elementary  sounds 
and  become  able  to  recognize  graphic  word-sym- 
bols for  himself.  Lessons  in  phonetics  should 
begin  as  soon  as  a  small  vocabulary  of  typical 
words  has  been  acquired  in  reading.  The  pupil 
should  observe  the  sound-values  in  familiar  words 
and  should  learn  to  associate  families  of  words 
having  one  or  more  sounds  in  common.  The 
easier  and  more  frequently  used  sounds  should  be 
taught  first.  Words  should  be  treated  as  wholes 
and  left  unmarked,  though,  for  convenience,  com- 
mon sounds  may  be  referred  to  by  their  standard 
names;  as  long  or  short.  To  build  up  words  by 
beginning  with  the  sound  in  the  midst  and  adding 
fore  and  aft  is  to  violate  the  psychology  of  reading. 
Many  words  do  not  belong  to  any  family  but 
involve  unusual  phonetic  values,  and,  when  met 
with  in  the  reading,  should  be  pronounced  by  the 
teacher.  Great  care  should  be  exercised  to  secure 
correct  hearing  and  correct  pronunciation.  Not 
all  of  the  sounds  of  the  letters  can  be  given 
correctly  in  isolation  by  little  children.  The 
teacher  will  find  extreme  difficulty  with  many  of 
them.  Hence  much  of  the  practice  should  be  upon 
words  as  wholes,  and  upon  syllables. 


READING  39 

VI.  The  meaning  of  new  words  must  come 
through  context,  assisted  perhaps  by  suitable 
questions  and  illustrations.  Even  in  the  higher 
grades,  the  dictionary  definition  should  be  con- 
sulted only  after  the  word  has  been  considered 
in  its  place  in  the  sentence.  Drills  upon  isolated 
words  before  the  study  of  the  reading-lesson  is 
begun  do  not  assist  the  growth  of  power  in  reading. 

VII.  Good  expression  in  reading  results  mainly 
from  a  vivid  consciousness  of  the  meaning  and  the 
stimulus  of  an  appreciative  audience.  An  exer- 
cise in  reading  aloud  where  all  have  the  text  under 
the  eye  tends  to  become  merely  perfunctory  and 
should  be  varied.  No  teacher  is  excusable  for 
permitting  pupils  to  fall  into  the  habit  of  mere 
word-calling.  Other  forms  of  expression  may  be 
employed,  story-telling  and  dramatization  brought 
into  connection,  an  audience  provided,  and,  above 
all,  an  abundance  of  interesting  subject-matter 
secured.  (No  single  reading-book  can  possibly 
suffice  for  the  work  of  any  year.  Three  or  four 
sets  of  different  types,  and  a  miscellaneous  collec- 
tion, sufficient  to  enable  each  child  to  read  some- 
thing for  himself  and  tell  about  it,  are  necessary. 
An  ideal  of  good  oral  reading  should  be  presented 
by  the  teacher  herself. 

VIII.  The  materials  of  primary  reading  may  be 


40        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

simple  enough  for  beginners  and  yet  contain 
interest  and  value.  All  the  activities  of  the  class 
may  furnish  riding-lessons.  Simple  rhymes,  the 
gist  of  stories,  dramatizations,  the  summaries  of 
observations -/and  conversations  may  be  system- 
atically formed  into  lessons  for  the  blackboard, 
and,  where  facilities  are  available,  into  lessons  on 
printed  slips  and  in  little  books  made  and  illus- 
trated by  the  pupils  themselves.  Such  a  first 
book  excels  any  that  can  be  published  for  general 
distribution. 

IX.  The  best  reading-books  have  least  to  dis- 
tinguish them  from  a  child's  library  book.  Such 
impedimenta  as  word-lists,  questions,  section-heads 
to  divide  stories  into  lessons,  printing  of  new  words 
in  black  type,  reviews,  etc.,  simply  bewilder  the 
pupil  and  cause  that  to  appear  formidable  which 
ought  to  seem  easy.  Clear,  large  type,  simple 
illustrations  germane  to  the  text,  and  continuity 
of  subject-matter  are  the  essential  features.  Good 
drawings  or  pictures  in  flat  colors,  when  artistically 
done  and  adequately  reproduced,  are  probably 
the  best  type  of  illustration  to  be  had.  Next 
come  clear  copies  of  paintings,  to  which  the  lessons 
refer.  Any  attempt  to  make  the  child's  reading- 
book  a  compendium  of  universal  knowledge  is  to 
be  deplored. 


READING  41 

X.  The  reading-material  in  a  primary  book  is 
seldom  of  interest  and  value  in  isolation.  Lessons 
should  be  taken  when  the  class  is  properly  prepared 
for  them  and  then  only.  This  is  particularly  true 
of  lessons  dealing  with  social  and  industrial  life, 
facts  in  nature,  life  in  other  lands,  or  copies  of 
famous  pictures. 

References 
on  the  place  of  reading  in  school 

Chubb:   The  Teaching  of  English,  pp.  58-67. 

Carpenter,  Baker,  and  Scott:  The  Teaching  of  English,  pp. 
75-81  (bibliography). 

Dewey :  My  Educational  Creed. 

Huey:  The  Psychology  and  Pedagogy  of  Reading,  pp.  301-13 
(bibliography) . 

O'Shea:  Dynamic  Factors  in  Education,  Part  I  (bibliog- 
raphy). 

ON  THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  READING 

Dearborn:   The  Psychology  of  Reading. 

Huey:  Psychology  and  Pedagogy  of  Reading  (bibliography). 

Judd :  Genetic  Psychology  for  Teachers. 

O'Shea:  Language  Development  and  Education  (bibliog- 
raphy). 

Spaulding:  Defective  Reading,  "New  York  Teachers'  Mono- 
graphs," June,  1902. 

Wissler:  "Interests  of  Children  in  Reading-Work,"  Peda- 
gogical Seminary,  Vol.  V,  pp.  532-40. 

Jacobi :  Psychological  Notes  on  Primary  Education. 


42         ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

Bagley:  "Apperception  of  the  Spoken  Sentence,"  American 

Journal  of  Psychology,  Vol.  XII. 
Balliet:    "Association  of  Ideas  in  Reading,"    Proceedings 

of  National  Education  Association,  1893. 

ON  METHOD  IN  TEACHING  READING 

Reeder:    History    of  School  Readers  and  Development  of 

Methods  in  Teaching  Reading. 
Hall:  How  to  Teach  Reading. 
Spaulding  and  Bryce:  Learning  to  Read. 
Bagley:  The  Educative  Process. 

Teachers  College  Record  for  January  and  September,  1906. 
Huey,  O'Shea,  Judd,  Chubb,  Carpenter,  Baker,  and  Scott, 

as  above. 
Clark:  How  to  Teach  [Oral]  Reading. 
Wei  ton:  Principles  and  Methods  of  Teaching,  pp.  120-38. 
Briggs  and  Coffman:  Teaching  of  Reading. 
Laing:  Reading,  a  Manual  for  Teachers. 
Prefaces  and  manuals  of  many  school  readers. 

ON  MATERIALS   OF  READING 

Ford:  The  New  England  Primer. 

Johnson:  Old-Time  Schools  and  School  Books. 

Kellogg:  Primary  Reading  (edited). 

Huey,  O'Shea,  Carpenter,  et  al.,  Reeder,  and  others,  as  above. 


LITERATURE 

I.  Literature  has  established  itself  as  a  subject 
of  study  in  the  elementary  schools.  The  children 
of  the  Puritans  read  the  Bible;  the  children  of 
Revolutionary  times  read  patriotic  verse  and  prose; 
the  children  of  the  Reconstruction  grew  lean  on 
the  graded-information  reader;  the  children  of 
our  own  day  study  selections  of  prose  and  poetry 
of  recognized  merit.  In  addition  to  literature  for 
reading,  the  modern  course  provides  liberally  also 
for  oral  literature  in  all  grades. 

II.  Literature  is  an  art  and  is  capable,  there- 
fore, of  giving  aesthetic  pleasure  and  of  develop- 
ing the  aesthetic  sense;  it  provides  imaginative 
experience  and  trains  the  imagination  in  con- 
structive and  interpretative  activity;  it  plays 
upon  the  finer  feelings  and  makes  possible  keener 
sympathy;  it  embodies  high  ideals  of  life  and 
conduct  and  sets  a  standard  of  duty;  it  greatly 
enlarges  the  reader's  knowledge  of  human  life 
and  tends  to  cosmopolitanism;  it  is  a  convenient 
and  useful  source  of  recreation  and  sometimes  of 
comfort  and  consolation;  and  since  it  is  every- 
where and  always  the  expression  and  product 
of  fine  intelligence,  it  can  hardly  fail  to  promote 

43 


44        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

intelligence  in  those  who  to  any  degree  appre- 
hend it. 

III.  The  method  of  the  teacher  of  literature  must 
ever  be  true  to  the  genius  of  the  art  and  to  the  capa- 
cities and  limitations  of  his  class.  The  science 
of  criticism  and  the  history  of  production  are  both 
matters  of  legitimate  interest  to  the  older  student, 
but  they  have  small  place  in  the  elementary 
school.  The  various  facts  which  serve  as  the 
poetic  symbols  must  also  be  held  in  strict  subjec- 
tion. Imaginative  realization  of  the  piece — its 
sounds,  words,  pictures,  suggestions,  thoughts, 
emotions,  meaning,  and  purpose  as  a  whole — should 
overtop  all  other  aims.  As  growing  maturity 
makes  it  possible,  to  these  should  be  added  a  clear 
sense  of  the  writer's  method  and  of  his  success  in 
it.    The  following  points  deserve  emphasis: 

i.  Literature,  especially  poetry,  is  addressed 
primarily  to  the  ear.  A  faithful  oral  rendering 
is  the  most  effective  of  all  means  of  appreciation. 
The  teacher  must  therefore  be  a  good  interpreter, 
and  should  seek  to  develop  like  power  in  the  class. 

2.  The  method  of  all  art  is  suggestion.  The 
teacher's  work  is  therefore  twofold:  first,  she 
must  give  needed  assistance  in  catching  the  mean- 
ings which  have  been  only  indirectly  conveyed  in 
the  selection  which  is  being  studied;   second,  she 


LITERATURE  45 

must  strive  to  make  the  experience  typical  and 
habitual,  so  that,  through  training,  the  pupil  may- 
become  able  to  grasp  readily  and  pleasurably  the 
meaning  of  whatever  literature  his  intellectual 
development  and  his  knowledge  of  life  have  pre- 
pared him  for. 

3.  Every  literary  work  is  a  more  or  less  perfect 
unity  of  varied  parts,  and  unfolds  in  accordance 
with  a  plan  of  structure  or  arrangement.  Whether 
pupils  are  made  to  discover  this  plan  or  not,  the 
teacher  should  invariably  be  acquainted  with  it 
and  should  conduct  the  several  lessons  in  the  light 
of  it.  It  is  clear  that  otherwise  she  is  an  incapable 
guide,  that  the  true  relation  and  subordination 
of  parts  will  almost  surely  be  obscured,  and  that, 
in  all  probability,  the  class  will  spend  its  energies 
on  small  details  or  in  "picking  out  the  beauties  of 
literature." 

4.  Literature  reflects  the  experience  of  the  writer 
and  must  be  translated  into  terms  of  the  experience 
of  the  reader.  There  must  be  at  least  a  "feeling 
of  the  meaning"  of  each  phrase  and  passage,  a 
certainty  that  a  moment's  reflection  would  suffice 
to  identify  the  meaning.  Children  are,  of  course, 
not  conscious  of  their  mental  processes  and  readily 
form  the  habit  of  getting  only  a  few  vague  ideas 
from  contact  with  a  book.     They  must  be  taught 


46        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

to  bring  their  experience  to  bear  and  to  know 
when  they  have  really  grasped  the  meaning.  This 
must  be  accomplished,  however,  without  destroying 
their  naivete  and  natural  childish  obliviousness 
of  self. 

5.  Too  great  care  cannot  be  exercised  in  preserv- 
ing the  genuineness  and  sincerity  of  the  pupils' 
response  to  the  appeals  of  literary  prose  and  verse. 
The  child's  own  judgment,  to  which  he  has  come 
by  his  own  observation,  is  a  thousand  times  more 
valuable  than  a  mature  opinion  put  into  his  mouth 
by  another.  This  does  not  mean  that  he  is  to  be 
left  in  entire  ignorance  of  literary  standards,  but 
merely  that  insincerity  and  sentimentality  are  the 
cardinal  literary  sins. 

6.  In  childhood  and  youth  is  the  time  for  making 
permanent  acquisition  of  a  considerable  body  of 
poetry.  Since  there  is  no  substitute  for  the  work 
itself  in  the  authentic  language  of  the  composer, 
to  acquire  means  ultimately  to  learn  by  heart. 
To  do  so  is  extremely  easy  for  younger  children, 
and,  if  continued  as  a  practice,  need  never  become 
distasteful.  Pupils  may  easily  learn  to  recall  the 
lines  by  remembering  the  structure,  and  the  choice 
of  selections  and  passages  may  largely  be  left  with 
them.  As  a  matter  of  school  policy,  the  memoriz- 
ing of  poems  beyond  the  child's  comprehension  can 


LITERATURE  47 

hardly  be  defended;  and  the  reciting  of  "memory 
gems"  in  concert  is  better  fitted  to  develop  the 
lungs  than  to  promote  taste  or  intellectuality. 

7.  It  cannot  too  strongly  be  urged  that  the  possi- 
bilities of  a  given  selection  or  group  of  selections 
in  the  work  of  a  given  class  be  most  carefully  con- 
sidered. While,  fundamentally,  the  method  of 
all  literature  is  the  same,  yet  each  selection  is 
unique  and  presents  peculiar  interests  and  prob- 
lems. Added  to  this  is  the  fact  that  each  class  has 
its  own  individuality.  Hence,  special  planning 
for  each  study  or  series  of  studies  is  imperatively 
necessary.  It  is  doubtful  whether  any  other  sub- 
ject suffers  so  often  and  so  seriously  from  stereo- 
typed and  perfunctory  assignment  and  handling 
as  literature.  Pupils  are  given  nothing  to  do,  do 
nothing,  and  grow  accordingly.  Honest,  thorough- 
going preparation  on  the  part  of  the  teacher  is  the 
remedy  for  the  fault,  and  it  is  the  least  that  can  be 
demanded. 

8.  The  longer  pieces,  which  are  in  place  in  all 
grades  above  the  second,  offer  peculiarly  fruitful 
opportunity  for  varied  and  effective  work.  The 
class  must  learn  to  carry  forward  the  early  portions, 
add  meaning  to  meaning,  keep  the  thread  of  action 
in  sight,  and  come  gradually  to  a  comprehension 
of    the    whole.     The    teacher    must    mingle    the 


48        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

methods  of  the  raconteur  with  those  of  the  reader 
and  the  analytic  student.  The  forms  of  response 
from  the  children  should  be  varied  and  highly 
versatile.  Collateral  material  for  illustration  and 
enlargement  should  be  plentifully  provided.  When 
thus  handled,  such  stories  as  that  of  Ulysses  or 
Arthur  become  great  landmarks  in  the  pupil's 
school  life,  and  are  not  without  great  possibilities 
of  culture  for  the  teacher  herself. 

IV.  The  choice  of  literature  for  children  is  grow- 
ing more  rational.  To  put  it  simply,  literature  is 
coming  to  be  recognized  as  literature  and  children 
as  children.  This  means  that  versified  moralizing 
and  sugar-coated  science  must  give  place  to  genu- 
ine art,  and  that  an  earnest  effort  is  being  made  to 
know  and  respect  the  interests,  limitations,  and 
point  of  view  of  children.  Attention  is  called  to 
the  following: 

i.  Simplicity  of  thought  and  structure  com- 
bined with  sincerity  is  more  readily  found  in  tradi- 
tional literature  than  in  the  work  of  the  modern 
artist,  particularly  in  case  the  modern  artist  sets 
out  to  write  for  children.  Sophistication  seeking 
to  become  childlike  generally  ends  in  a  pose.  The 
literature,  especially  the  prose  literature,  of  little 
children  should  be  very  largely  the  literature  of 
the  folk. 


LITERATURE  49 

2.  But  folk-literature  reflects  the  crudities, 
primitive  ethics,  and  coarseness  inevitable  in  a 
partially  developed  civilization.  Hence  the  great- 
est care  must  be  exercised  in  selecting  from  the 
mass  of  such  material  now  available  the  few  pieces 
which  are  entirely  fit.  The  wholesale  editing  and 
rewriting  of  this  literature  to  make  it  harmless  and 
easy  to  read  should  be  decisively  frowned  down. 
The  mantle  of  Andersen  has  so  far  not  found  fit 
shoulders. 

3.  Hopeless  confusion  with  regard  to  mythical 
stories  seems  to  exist.  The  number  of  myths 
actually  taught  is  small;  the  number  of  school 
stories  called  myths  by  undiscriminating  educators 
is  very  great.  The  myths  of  the  pagan  gods  have 
no  place  in  the  curriculum  of  the  smaller  children, 
and  when  used  in  higher  grades  should  not  fail  to 
awaken  a  certain  reverence  for  beliefs  once  faith- 
fully cherished.  Stories  of  how  and  why  certain 
phenomena  of  nature  came  to  be,  and  stories  of  the 
legendary  heroes  of  the  nations  may  well  precede 
any  systematic  attempt  to  acquaint  pupils  with 
the  myths  of  the  deities.  Mythology,  in  its  higher 
aspects,  is  certainly  not  food  for  babes. 

4.  The  course  should  include  a  small  body  of 
thoroughly  good  poetry  which  is  within  the  chil- 
dren's comprehension.    Suitable  occasion  will  easily 


t 


5©  ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

be  found  during  any  year  for  lyrics  of  nature,  of 
play-time,  of  ideals,  of  fun  and  fancy,  and  of  love 
of  country.  No  little  one  should  be  deprived  of 
Mother  Goose,  and  this  may  well  be  followed  by 
many  of  the  poems  in  Stevenson's  Child's  Garden 
of  Verses.  The  old  favorites  should  be  often  re- 
called from  year  to  year,  brought  into  comparison 
with  the  new,  and  thus  be  made  really  "touch- 
stones" and  a  permanent  possession.  And,  in  the 
higher  grades,  the  poems  of  the  best-known  authors 
should  be  grouped,  and  a  modest  attempt  made  to 
know  the  poet's  work  as  an  expression  of  his  life 
and  interests. 

5.  Mr.  Scudder's  contention  that  American  boys 
and  girls  should  know  American  literature  has  much 
weight.  The  public  school  is  the  great  assimilator, 
and  no  leavening  influence  can  be  more  effective 
than  the  expression  of  the  national  spirit  in  prose 
and  verse.  An  added  advantage  is  the  greater  ease 
with  which  the  more  familiar  symbols,  our  nature 
and  our  history,  are  interpreted.  Nevertheless, 
only  selections  really  artistic  should  be  taught,  and 
these  not  to  the  exclusion  of  the  best  and  most 
suitable  from  whatever  source. 

6.  Whether  certain  selections  are  adapted  to  a 
particular  grade  or  class  depends  much  upon  the 
training  the  class  has  had  and  upon  the  method 


LITERATURE  S1 

of  handling.  A  selection  can  be  assigned  to  a  grade 
only  on  the  assumption  that  the  work  indicated 
for  preceding  grades  has  been  done.  Again,  litera- 
ture difficult  for  reading  may  often  be  easily 
understood  when  communicated  orally.  These 
two  considerations  imply  (i)  that  teachers  must  be 
privileged  to  select  material  from  grades  below 
their  own,  and  (2)  that  selections  will  appear  in 
the  lists  of  two  or  more  grades.  A  genuine  classic 
gains  by  repeated  study — at  suitable  intervals  and 
from  new  points  of  view. 

7.  Literature-study  of  the  right  sort  largely 
determines  what  children  will  read  voluntarily. 
This  should  be  one  of  the  teacher's  cherished 
purposes,  for  whatever  guidance  most  children 
receive  in  this  vastly  important  matter  the  school 
must  give.  To  the  person  really  in  earnest,  and 
at  the  same  time  competent  and  tactful,  numerous 
ways  will  readily  be  found  to  supplement  the 
influences  intrinsic  to  the  class  exercises  themselves 
and  thus  to  insure  a  substantial  increase  in  the 
number  of  discriminating  readers  of  the  best. 

V.  The  study  of  pictures  so  nearly  coincides  with 
the  study  of  literature,  both  in  purpose  and  in 
method,  that  many  teachers  find  it  of  advantage  to 
supplement  the  one  with  the  other.  The  fact  that 
illustration  has  become  so  large  a  factor  in  modern 


52         ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

book-making  renders  this  all  the  more  desirable 
and,  in  specific  cases,  imperative.  Many  excel- 
lent pictures  have  been  suggested  by  passages  in 
literature,  and  many  poems  are  but  the  attempt 
to  say  in  verse  what  the  painter  had  already 
expressed  with  his  brush.  Hence  the  possibility 
of  many  companion  studies.  But  such  work  can 
hardly  become  systematic  without  encroaching 
upon  the  field  of  graphic  art. 

References 

on  the  value  of  literature  as  a  study 

Colby:  Literature  and  Life  in  School. 

MacClintock:  Literature  in  the  Elementary  School. 

Scudder:   The  Place  of  Literature  in  School. 

Cox:  Literature  in  the  Common  Schools. 

Corson:  Aims  of  Literary  Study. 

Butler:   "Aims  and  Methods  in  the  Study  of  Literature," 

Education,  Vol.  XVI. 
Barnum:    "Elementary-School   Curriculum,   First  Year," 

Teachers  College  Record,  January,  1906. 
See  Proceedings  of  the  National  Education  Association,  and 

indexes  to  periodicals. 

ON  METHOD  IN  THE  TEACHING   OF  LITERATURE 

Chubb:  The  Teaching  of  English. 

Carpenter,  Baker,  and  Scott:  The  Teaching  of  English  (bib 

liography) . 
MacClintock:  Literature  in  the  Elementary  School. 


LITERATURE  53 

Colby:  Literature  and  Life  foi  School. 

Bryant:  How  to  Tell  Stories  to  Children. 

McMurry :  How  to  Study-  and  Teaching  How  to  Study. 

Sylvester:  Journeys  through  Bookland,  Vol.  X,  pp.  329-464. 

Welton:  Principles  and  Methods  of  Teaching,  pp.  130-63. 

St.  John:  Stories  and  Story-Telling. 

Bates:  Talks  on  the  Study  of  Literature. 

Woodberry:  The  Appreciation  of  Literature. 

ON  THE  CHOICE  OF  LITERATURE  FOR  CHILDREN 

Moses:  Children's  Books  and  Reading. 

Field:  Fingerposts  to  Children's  Reading. 

Vostrovsky:    "A  Study  of  Children's  Reading  Tastes," 

Pedagogical  Seminary,  Vol.  VI,  pp.  523-35. 
Chamberlain:  "Folk-Lore  in  the  Schools,"  ibid.,  Vol.  VII, 

pp.  347-56. 
Allen:     "Pedagogy  of  Myth  in  the  Grades,"  ibid.,  Vol. 

VIII,  pp.  258-77. 
Ferguson:   A  Guide  to  Helpful  Reading. 
Macy:   A  Guide  to  Reading. 
Lawrence:    "Children's  Interests  in  Literature,"  National 

Education  Association,  Proceedings,  1899. 
:  "How    Shall    Children    Be   Led   to   Love   Good 

Books?"  1901.     (Unsupported  by  evidence.) 
McCracken:    "What   Children   Like   to   Read,"   Outlook, 

December,  1904. 
"Report  of  the  New  England  Association  of  Teachers  of 

English,"  School  Review,  1907. 
Boas:  Report  on  English  to  the  Board  of  Education,  London, 

1909. 
Colby,  MacClintock,  Chubb,  Bryant,  as  above. 

Many  articles  in  the  periodicals  (see  annual  indexes). 


54         ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

Library  lists  of  the  A.L.A.,  Pittsburgh  Library,  Detroil 
Library,  Hartford  Library,  Boston  Library,  Pupil's 
Reading  Circle  of  Illinois,  Baker  in  Teachers  College 
Record,  Chicago  Board  of  Education,  Library  Commis- 
sion of  Wisconsin,  Illinois  "Course  of  Study,"  Indian- 
apolis "Course  in  English,"  "Course  in  Literature," 
at  Brookline,  Mass.,  "Helps  for  Teachers,  No.  i," 
Chicago  Public  Library. 

ON  THE   STUDY   OF  PICTURES 

Emery:   How  to  Study  Pictures. 
Sawvel:  How  to  Interpret  Pictures. 
Van  Dyke:  The  Meaning  of  Pictures. 
Caffin:  A  Child's  Guide  to  Pictures. 
Wilson:  Picture-Study  (Teachers'  Manual). 
Wertz:  Outlines  for  Picture-Study. 
Sturgis:   Appreciation  of  Pictures. 
Witt:  How  to  Look  at  Pictures. 


THE   COURSE  BY  GRADES 


THE  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH  BY  GRADES 
THE  KINDERGARTEN 

Formerly  the  idea  obtained  that  the  effect  of  the 
telling  of  the  stories  in  the  kindergarten  and  the 
influence  of  the  teacher  of  little  children  through  her 
speech  were  mainly  in  the  directing  of  moral  tend- 
encies and  the  awakening  of  aspiration,  love,  and 
reverence.  Of  late  the  conception  has  been  broad- 
ened to  include,  not  only  all  this,  but  also  the 
unconscious  communication  of  standards  of  English, 
both  in  the  story  given  and  in  the  language  used  in 
expression,  as  well  as  in  the  standards  of  tone, 
pronunciation,  and  meaning.  A  worthier  under- 
taking for  a  teacher  could  not  be  imagined.  She 
can  acquaint  the  children  with  beautiful  phrases 
and  make  for  them  "household  words"  of  fine 
speech,  at  the  time  when  they  are  gathering  with 
quick  ear,  warm  feelings,  and  wonderful  speed  a 
vocabulary  that  will  be  more  truly  their  own  than 
any  that  they  may  try  to  acquire  with  toil  and 
effort  later.  She  can  make  them  lovers  of  whole- 
some sentiment  and  unconscious  critics  of  weak 
and  bloodless  romance.  Children  accustomed  for 
the  first  few  years  of  their  lives  to  the  best,  in  their 
own  literary  favorites  may  pass  through  the  stage 

57 


5 8        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

of  the  Augusta  Evans  Wilson  or  E.  P.  Roe  novel — 
may  revel  in  Daring  Dick  or  perhaps  the  higher 
type  of  melodrama  provided  by  Henty — but  time 
has  proved  again  and  again  that  of  their  own 
motion  they  soon  become  tired  of  it  and  find  their 
way  back  to  the  wholesome  atmospheres  that  are 
at  one  with  their  earlier  enchantments. 

It  is  a  truism  to  say  that  the  influence  that  can 
be  exerted  in  this  way  depends  almost  wholly  on 
the  teacher's  own  personal  efficiency.  With  older 
children  literary  enthusiasm  and  appreciation  may 
be  communicated  where  the  chief  instrument  is 
the  story,  but  with  small  children  equally  impor- 
tant factors  are  tone  and  language.  These  form 
their  standards  quite  as  much  as  the  matter 
of  the  story.  Hence  the  speech  of  the  teacher 
should  be  fine  and  sweet.  This,  coupled  with  good 
story  and  good  poetry  and  with  sympathetic 
encouragement  of  creative  effort  in  word-making 
and  verse-making  and  story-making,  will  lay  a  sure 
foundation  for  the  love  of  literature  and  of  right 
habits  of  speaking. 

But  a  word  of  warning  is  timely  here.  All  word- 
making  from  which  any  profit  may  come  must  be 
spontaneous  with  the  children  themselves.  Many 
teachers  make  the  mistake  of  coining  words  for 
the  children,  and  there  is  great  danger  that  these 


KINDERGARTEN  59 

may  become  insincere,  affected,  or  infantile.  Like 
all  other  creation,  word-making  must  be  spon- 
taneous and  on  the  plane  natural  to  the  artist — a 
delightful  response  to  experience  which  is  welcome 
but  not  forced.  What  children  want  from  grown 
people  is  real  words,  and  above  all,  meanings  and 
help  in  building  general  terms  from  concrete 
experiences.  This  is  a  most  neglected  field  in 
English  among  small  children,  but  it  could  be 
worked  with  very  great  profit. 

School  work  with  the  youngest  ones  is  not  yet 
well  defined.  There  is  no  lack  of  material  or 
method,  but  all  is  unorganized,  and  much  thought- 
ful study  is  needed  to  make  it  of  use.  The  fol- 
lowing points  are  of  importance: 

i.  Material. — In  the  nursery,  the  rhyme  and  the 
picture,  with  a  few  lines  of  rhythmic  description, 
are  the  best  material  for  the  little  child.  The  short 
lyric  and  ballad  follow  these,  with  the  short  story 
of  the  Peter  Rabbit  type.  Later,  in  the  home,  the 
child  will  enjoy  many  old  tales  that  friends  and 
parents  will  repeat  for  him,  but  at  this  time  the 
child  is  at  the  threshold  of  the  kindergarten,  and 
should  find  there  waiting  for  him  the  folk-tale,  some 
fairy  tales,  many  simple  tales  of  real  life,  and  a 
plentiful  supply  of  good,  simple  verse.  A  very 
large  part  of  his  English  here  should  be  the  gaining 


60        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

of  names  of  things  and  of  meanings  of  words.  If 
the  wholesome  habit  should  develop  among  the 
children  of  asking,  "What  does  that  mean?"  the 
teacher  may  feel  that  she  has  added  something  to 
the  prospect  of  increasing  the  supply  of  intelligent, 
fluent  speech  in  the  world.  There  is  no  book  of 
stories  or  poems  that  can  be  recommended  as  a 
whole,  since  those  produced  for  the  kindergarten 
are  too  limited  or  lack  literary  and  artistic  value. 
Those  for  the  primary  grades  are  often  equally 
inartistic  and  many  of  the  stories  too  advanced — 
so  that  the  teacher  must  make  her  own  selection. 
In  the  first  year,  fifteen  stories  is  a  good  allowance ; 
in  the  second  year,  perhaps  twenty.  Stories  for 
the  first  year  should  not  require  more  than  five 
minutes  in  the  telling;  those  for  the  second  year, 
not  more  than  ten. 

2.  Method. — Stories  should  be  repeated  often, 
if  they  are  worth  while,  and  a  new  story  should 
always  be  told  twice,  or  at  least  on  successive  days. 
They  should  be  told  without  much  gesture,  and 
the  teacher  should  never  request  the  children  to 
retell  the  story  until  they  volunteer  to  do  so.  Parts 
and  sentences  only  will  be  given  at  first;  after  a 
while  the  whole  story  will  come. 

One  source  of  success  with  the  kindergarten 
teacher  will  be  the  tone  of  her  voice  and  her  manner 


KINDERGARTEN  61 

of  speaking.  Little  children  are  remarkably  in- 
fluenced by  these  things;  hence  the  teacher  should 
take  special  note  of  the  tone  and  manner  of  speak- 
ing of  those  who  speak  well,  and  should  constantly 
cultivate  her  own  power  in  this  direction.  The 
first  essential  quality  is  sincerity,  which  is  a  result 
of  reality  and  earnestness  in  the  teacher  herself. 
Then  come  simplicity  and  fulness  of  tone — the 
head  voice  used  but  not  forced,  and  every  sentence 
and  every  word  given  its  proper  value.  The  voice 
should  not  be  loud  but  clear  and  distinct,  and  the 
teacher  should  speak  simply  and  as  if  she  felt  the 
importance  of  what  she  says. 

There  are  several  good  books  now  in  use  in 
method  in  story-telling.  These  should  be  con- 
sulted. In  verse,  two  or  four  lines  are  sufficient 
at  first,  and  the  children  should  be  encouraged  to 
contribute  from  their  store.  But,  by  and  by,  two 
or  three  verses  may  be  learned  (these  should  be 
thoroughly  learned),  and  it  is  well  to  give  some 
lines  of  stately  blank  verse  with  a  refrain.  Rhyth- 
mic refrain  is  admirable  for  young  children. 

Above  all,  the  teacher  should  study  the  develop- 
ment of  English  work  in  some  book  like  Chubb 's 
Teaching  of  English,  so  that  she  may  realize  the 
scope  of  the  subject  of  which  her  work  is  a  small 
part  and  get  something  of  the  inspiration  that 


62         ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

comes  from  feeling  the  sweep  of  a  large  process 
and  the  co-operation  in  a  fine  purpose. 

References  and  Collections 

McVannell  and  Hill:    "Kindergarten  Problems,"  Teachers 

College  Record,  November,  1909. 
Buckland:  The  Use  of  Stories  in  the  Kindergarten. 
Wiggin:  Children's  Rights. 
Henderson :   The  Children  of  Good  Fortune. 
Bryant:  How  to  Tell  Stories  to  Children. 

:  Stories  to  Tell  to  Children. 

St.  John:  Stories  and  Story-Telling. 
Poulsson:  In  the  Child's  World. 
Bailey  and  Lewis:   The  Children's  Hour. 
Wiggin:  The  Story  Hour. 

:  Pinafore  Palace. 

Welsh:  A  Book  of  Nursery  Rhymes. 
Lansing:  Rhymes  and  Stories. 
O'Shea:  Six  Nursery  Classics. 
Johnson:  Oaktree  Fairy  Book. 


THE  FIRST  GRADE 
COMPOSITION 

The  important  aim  in  this  grade  is  training  in 
oral  English.  In  all  the  exercises  the  children 
should  use  clear,  natural,  and  pleasing  tones  of 
voice.  The  pupil  should,  however,  become  able 
to  write  his  name  and  some  words  and  sentences 
from  the  reading-lessons.  Blackboard  or  large 
sheets  of  unglazed  paper  with  soft  pencil  are  the 
only  suitable  materials.  The  subjects  for  oral  com- 
position should  include  all  the  current  interests 
of  the  children.  The  following  are  the  principal 
opportunities  afforded  for  development  in  spoken 
language : 

i.  Conversation  and  report. — The  topics  should 
be  both  interesting  and  instructive,  and  each  lesson 
should  proceed  to  a  definite  end.  The  following 
groups  are  suggested  as  typical:  (a)  home,  father, 
occupations,  plays,  outings,  pets;  (b)  baker,  car- 
penter, postman,  and  other  workers;  (c)  Colum- 
bus Day,  Thanksgiving  Day,  Christmas  Day, 
Lincoln's  Birthday,  Washington's  Birthday;  (d) 
plants,  trees,  autumn,  winter,  spring;  (e)  pictures 
of  action  or  situation,  such  as  the  best  illustrations 
of  Mother  Goose,  and  pictures  of  children  and 

63 


64        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

animals.  Large  pictures  are  required,  and  only 
those  having  at  least  modest  claims  to  artistic 
excellence  should  be  used.  (See  the  suggestions 
on  literary  study  below.) 

2.  Story-telling. — The  pupil  should  be  given  a 
single,  complete  impression  of  the  whole.  He 
should  not  be  pressed  to  attempt  to  retell  a  story 
until  he  has  heard  it  more  than  once  and  has 
grasped  it  sufficiently  to  ask  intelligent  questions 
about  it.  The  teacher  should  be  mindful  through- 
out of  the  objective  point  and  essential  structure 
of  the  story,  and  should  preserve  its  spirit.  Con- 
versation concerning  the  meaning  of  the  story 
should  be  carefully  guided.  Only  the  shorter 
stories  as  indicated  in  the  list  below  are  suitable 
for  telling  by  the  children.  Graphic  illustration 
is  highly  valuable,  both  for  testing  and  for  deepen- 
ing of  the  impression.  By  the  end  of  the  year 
each  pupil  should  be  able  to  tell  several  stories, 
from  beginning  to  end,  in  a  manner  pleasing  to 
the  class.  (See  the  suggestions  on  literary  study 
below.) 

3.  Dramatization. — The  more  dramatic  stories 
and  rhymes  may  well  be  acted  out.  The  children 
should  be  encouraged  to  arrange  the  simple 
"properties,"  to  plan  the  acting,  and  to  compose 
and  perfect  the  dialogue. 


FIRST  GRADE  65 

4.  Memorizing  poetry. — The  literary  study  of 
the  grade  involves  learning  by  heart.  (See  the 
list  of  poems  suggested.)  Oral  recitation  is  also 
a  valuable  discipline  in  language,  provided  it  is 
genuine  expression. 

WORD-STUDY 

L 

After  a  suitable  stock  of  type  words  has  been 
acquired  in  the  reading,  systematic  study  of  phonics 
should  begin.  Simple  breathing  exercises  should  be 
provided;  also  practice  in  pronunciation  of  words, 
pausing  slightly  on  syllables  without  exaggerated 
lip  or  tongue  movement,  in  enunciation  of  i,  e, 
a,  a,  i,  a,  0  in  connection  with  consonants,  and  in 
articulation  of  initial  and  final  consonants,  espe- 
cially p,  t,  b,  s,  m,  n,  g.  Jingles  may  be  repeated 
for  increasing  the  flexibility  and  strength  of  lips  and 
tongue.  Words  should  be  treated  as  wholes,  and 
the  sounds  of  syllables  and  letters  learned  in  their 
connection.  By  grouping  words  in  families,  pupils 
may  easily  be  led  to  observe  the  sound  values  for 
themselves.  Such  lessons  may  well  take  the  form 
of  lively,  interesting  word  games.  Each  teacher v/ 
should  have  at  hand  a  table  by  which  the  work 
may  be  guided  and  systematized.  As  fast  as 
knowledge  of  the  sounds  of  the  letters  grows,  it 
should  be  employed  in  making  out  new  words  in 


66        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

the  reading-lessons.  The  naming  of  the  letters 
leads  naturally  to  spelling.  By  the  end  of  the 
year  the  members  of  the  class  should  be  able  to 
spell  many  common  words  and  should  know  the 
alphabet.  Their  progress  in  word-study  may  be 
judged  by  their  ability  to  hear  sounds  and  repro- 
duce them  accurately,  and  by  their  recognition  of 
written  and  printed  words. 

READING 

The  first  lessons  should  be  blackboard  lessons 
made  up  from  the  conversations.  The  teacher 
should  secure  continuity,  sequence,  and  unity,  and 
should  keep  careful  account  of  the  growth  in 
vocabulary.  Some  word  drill  is  necessary.  Les- 
sons based  upon  nursery  rhymes  which  have  been 
memorized  may  be  made  very  effective.  Pupils 
should  be  ready  for  a  book  in  a  few  weeks,  and 
should  have  access  to  several  attractive,  easy 
readers.  Most  children  learn  to  read  by  them- 
selves when  they  have  something  they  like  to  read. 
A  suggested  list  appears  below.  The  various  reci- 
tations in  reading  should  involve  a  wide  range  of 
interests,  and  should  employ  all  avenues  of  both  im- 
pression and  expression.  Distinctness  and  appro- 
priateness in  the  oral  rendering  should  be  secured. 
The  preparatory  and  collateral  work  necessary  to 


FIRST  GRADE  67 

the  interest  and  appreciation  of  a  lesson  should  be 
faithfully  done.  Isolation  is  the  bane  of  the  read- 
ing work.  (See  the  section  on  Reading  in  the 
"Outline  of  Theory.") 

LITERATURE 

The  impression  should  be  conveyed  orally, 
though  poems  may  well  be  placed  upon  the  board 
for  incidental  reading.  The  teacher's  voice  and 
manner  in  telling  and  reciting  should  serve  as  an 
unconscious  model  for  the  children.  Such  ques- 
tions should  be  asked  as  will  aid  the  children  in 
realizing  the  piece  in  the  imagination.  Literature 
is  suggestive  and  indirect;  the  teacher's  method 
must  be  of  like  character.  The  test  of  success  is 
that  the  pupils  enjoy  an  experience  akin  to  that 
of  which  the  selection  is  the  adequate  expression. 
Their  literary  sincerity  must  in  no  way  be  violated. 
The  work  with  a  poem  should  generally  include 
memorizing  and  reciting  by  the  pupils,  and  in  the 
case  of  stories,  telling  or  dramatizing.  An  effort 
has  been  made  to  include  in  the  lists  of  stories 
and  poems  below  only  those  selections  which  a 
little  child  can  understand  and  appreciate.  It 
does  not  follow,  however,  that  because  he  gets 
something  more  than  sound  that  he  should  be 
expected  to  render  all  the  meaning  in  plain  prose 


68        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

or  to  analyze  the  effect  which  he  has  received. 
The  value  of  the  story  or  poem  can  be  measured 
by  the  interest  of  the  children  and  their  desire  to 
make  it  their  own. 

Stories 

The  shorter  and  simpler  stories  are  marked  with  an  asterisk. 
Most  of  these  are  suitable  for  dramatization.  The  name  appended 
is  usually  that  of  a  trustworthy  editor.  The  initials  indicate  the 
titles  of  good  sources  of  the  story,  which  will  be  found  in  the  list 
of  prose  collections  in  the  Appendix. 

The  Ant  and  the  Grasshopper,  f.e.,  f.f.s.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
*The  Boy  Who  Cried  Wolf,  f.e.,  H.o.-n.,  j.t.b.,  Joseph 
Jacobs. 

The  Bremen  Town  Musicians,  g.t.-l,  f.f.s.,  Margaret  \ 
Hunt. 

Briar  Rose,  g.t.-l,  Margaret  Hunt.     . 
*The  Cat  and  the  Mouse,  b.f.b.,  Clifton  Johnson. 
*The  Cat  and  the  Mouse  in  Partnership,  g.t.-i.,  g.h.t., 
Margaret  Hunt. 

The  Christ  Child,  d.b.s.,  The  Bible. 

Cinderella,  o.f.b.,  t.m.g.,  Clifton  Johnson. 
*Clytie,  f.g.m.,  s.o.G.,  Lillian  Hyde. 
*The  Crow  and  the  Pitcher,  f.e.,  f.f.s.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
*The  Elves  and  the  Shoemaker,  g.t.-i.,  f.f.s.,  Margaret 

Hunt. 
;"The  Fir  Tree,  w.s.,  h.a.s.,  Hans  Christian  Andersen. 

The  Fisher  Boy,  b.f.b.,  Clifton  Johnson. 

Five  Out  of  One  Shell,  s.t.,  Hans  Christian  Andersen. 
*The  Fox  and  the  Grapes,  f.e.,  f.f.s.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
*The  Fox  and  the  Rooster,  b.f.b.,  Clifton  Johnson. 


FIRST  GRADE  69 

The  Frog  and  the  Ox,  f.e.,  H.o.-n.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
The   Garden  of   Paradise,   w.s.,   b.f.b.,   Hans   Christian 

Andersen. 
*The  Hare  and  the  Tortoise,  f.e.,  l.r.-h.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
*Henny-Penny,  e.f.t.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
Hiawatha's  Childhood  (Song  of  Hiawatha,  Part  II),  Henry 

W.  Longfellow. 
*The  House  That  Jack  Built,  h.o.-l,  s.n.c,  C.  E.  Norton. 
*How  Brother  Rabbit  Fooled  the  Whale  and  the  Elephant, 

s.t.c,  Sara  Cone  Bryant. 
Jack  and  the  Beanstalk,  e.f.t.,  f.s.f.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
Jack  the  Giant  Killer,  e.f.t.,  b.f.b.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
The  Johnny-Cake,  e.f.t.,  o.f.b.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
Tame  Molly,  b.f.b.,  f.t.,  Clifton  Johnson. 
The  Lion  and  the  Mouse,  f.e.,  f.s.f.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
The  Little  Red  Hen,  o.f.b.,  s.t.c,  r.s.,  f.c.h.,  Clifton 

Johnson. 
Little  Red  Riding-Hood,  o.f.b.,  h.o.-ii.,  j.t.b.,  Clifton 

Johnson. 
*Little  Tuppen,  f.s.f.,  James  Baldwin. 
Mother  Holle,  G.T.,  g.h.t.,  Margaret  Hunt. 
Mezumi  the  Beautiful,  b.f.b.,  Clifton  Johnson. 
The  Old  Woman  Who  Found  the  Sixpence,  e.f.t.,  o.f.b., 

j.t.b. ,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
One  Eye,  Two  Eyes,  and  Three  Eyes,  G.T.,  f.s.f.,  Margaret 

Hunt. 
The  Princess  and  the  Bean,  w.s.,  H.A.S.,  Hans  Christian 

Andersen. 
Robert  Scott  and  the  Gnomes,  b.f.b.,  Clifton  Johnson. 
Snow-White  and  Rose-Red,  G.T.-n.,  g.h.t.,  Margaret  Hunt. 
The  Story  of  Moses,  d.b.s.,  Sarah  E.  Dawes. 
The  Story  of  Tom  Thumb,  b.f.b.,  f.s.f.,  Clifton  Johnson. 


70        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

The  Straw,  the  Coal,  and  the  Bean,  g.t.-l,  g.h.t.,  Margaret 

Hunt. 
*The  Three  Bears,  e.f.t.,  o.f.b.,  s.n.c,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
*The  Three  Billy  Goats,  f.t.n.,  f.s.f.,  r.s.,  George  Webb 

Dasent. 
*The  Three  Pigs,  e.f.t.,  o.f.b.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
*Why  the  Bear  Has  a  Short  Tail,  b.n.m.,  Florence  Holbrook. 
*Why  the  Cat  Always  Falls  upon  Her  Feet,  b.n.m.,  Florence 

Holbrook. 
*The  Wind  and  the  Sun,  f.e.,  f.f.s.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
The  Wolf  and  the  Seven  Kids,  g.t.,  o.f.b.,  Margaret  Hunt. 

Poetry 

All  Things  Beautiful,  l.s.-l,  p.G.-n.,  Cecil  F.  Alexander. 

Bed  in  Summer,  C.G.,  P.G.-n.,  R.  L.  Stevenson. 

Boats  Sail  on  the  River,  s.s.,  p.g.-i.,  Christina  Rossetti. 

The  Busy  Bee,  l.s.-l,  p.g.-l,  Isaac  Watts. 

Come,  Little  Leaves,  G.M.,  George  Cooper. 

The  Cow,  C.G.,  g.p.-l,  R.  L.  Stevenson. 

A  Good  Play,  p.G.-n.,  R.  L.  Stevenson. 

Good  Night,  g.p.-l,  Victor  Hugo. 

Good  Night  and  Good  Morning,  l.s.-l,  p.r.,  Lord  Houghton. 

The  Land  of  Counterpane,  C.G.,  R.  L.  Stevenson. 

Little  Birdie,  l.s.-l,  p.g.-l,  j.t.b.,  Alfred  Tennyson. 

The  Little  Plant,  p.g.-l,  g.p.-l,  Kate  L.  Brown. 

Merry  Sunshine,  N.v.  (unknown). 

Mother  Goose  Rhymes,  n.r.,  r.s.,  Charles  Welsh. 

Blow,  Wind,  Blow! 

Ding  Dong  Bell. 

Hi,  Diddle,  Diddle. 

Humpty,  Dumpty. 


FIRST  GRADE  71 

Hush-a-Bye,  Baby. 

I  Saw  a  Ship  a-Sailing. 

Little  Bo-Peep. 

Little  Boy  Blue. 

Little  Cock  Sparrow. 

Little  Jack  Horner. 

Little  Miss  Muffet. 

Little  Robin  Redbreast. 

London  Bridge  Is  Falling  Down. 

Mistress  Mary. 

Monday's  Child  Is  Fair  of  Face. 

The  North  Wind  Doth  Blow. 

Old  King  Cole. 

Old  Mother  Hubbard. 

Poor  Old  Robinson  Crusoe. 

Simple  Simon. 

Sing  a  Song  of  Sixpence. 

Thirty  Days  Hath  September. 

Three  Children  Sliding  on  the  Ice. 
My  Shadow,  cc,  p.G.-n.,  R.  L.  Stevenson. 
November,  N.v.,  G.P.-m.,  Alice  Cary. 
Over  in  the  Meadow,  l.s.-i.,  g.p.-i.,  Olive  A.  Wadsworth. 
The  Rain,  C.G.,  g.p.-i.,  R.  L.  Stevenson. 
Sleep,  Baby,  Sleep  (two  stanzas),  l.s.-i.,  p.g.-i.,  j.t.b.,  g.m.s. 

(from  the  German). 
Spring,  P.R.,  l.s.-i.,  Celia  Thaxter. 
The  Swing,  c.g.,  G.p.-m.,  R.  L.  Stevenson. 
Twinkle,  Twinkle,  Little  Star,  l.s.-i.,  g.p.-i.,  Jane  Taylor. 
Who  Has  Seen  the  Wind?  s.s.,  g.p.-i.,  Christina  Rossetti. 
Who  Likes  the  Rain?  R.v.,  f.c.h.,  Clara  Bates. 
The  Wind,  C.G.,  G.p.-i.,  R.  L.  Stevenson. 


72         ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

Reading-Books 

In  the  following  list  the  books  are  classified  according  to  sub- 
ject matter.  A  basal  reader  is  supposed  to  be  in  the  hands  of 
the  children. 

i.  General:  Beginner's  Reader  (Bass);  Blodgett  First 
Reader;  New  Century  First  Reader  (Perdue) ;  Children's 
First  Story  Book;  Summers  First  Reader;  Howe  Primer; 
Howe  First  Reader. 

2.  Childish  Activities:  Brooks  Primer;  Overall  Boys; 
Sunbonnet  Babies;  Wide-Awake  Primer;  W ide- Awake  First 
Reader. 

3.  Out-of-Doors:  Outdoor  Primer;  Nature  and  Life 
Primer;  Robin  Reader. 

4.  Primitive  Life:  Fishing  and  Hunting  (Mott  and  Dut- 
ton);  Indian  Primer  (Fox);   Two  Little  Indians  (McGuire). 

5.  Pictures:  Art-Literature  Primer;  Art-Literature  First 
Reader. 

6.  Literature:  Aldine  First  Reader;  Book  of  Nursery 
Rhymes  (Welsh);  Child-Lore  Dramatic  Reader  (Bryce); 
Choice  Literature  for  Primary  I;  First  Book  (Speight  and 
Thomson);  First-Year  Language  Reader;  Graded  Classics  for 
First  Year;  Heart  of  Oak,  Book  I;  Horace  Mann  Primer  and 
First  Reader;  Mother  Goose  Primer  (Wiley);  Our  Story 
Reader  (Ketchum  and  Rice);  Progressive  Road  to  Reading, 
First  Book;  Rhyme  and  Story  Primer  (McMahon);  Reading- 
Literature  Primer  (Free  &  Treadwell) ;  Silver  Burdett  First 
Reader;   Verse  and  Prose  for  Beginners. 


THE  SECOND  GRADE 

COMPOSITION 

Oral  English  should  receive  the  main  stress. 
The  aim  should  include,  not  only  phonetic  and 
grammatical  correctness,  but  also  sequence,  ac- 
curacy, and  holding  to  the  point.  In  the  written 
work,  pupils  should  learn  to  form  sentences  and 
small  groups  of  sentences,  expressing  their  own 
ideas  gained  from  the  various  studies.  They 
should  also  dictate  to  the  teacher  brief  composi- 
tions to  be  written  in  paragraph  form  on  the  board. 
Lessons  in  nature  and  in  civic  life  may  briefly  be 
summed  up,  and  thoughts  about  pictures,  stories, 
and  poems  expressed.  There  is  no  gain,  however, 
in  urging  children  to  write  at  length  before  their 
knowledge  of  words  is  sufficient  to  prevent  a  multi- 
tude of  errors.  The  important  phases  of  the  com- 
position work  are : 

i.  Conversation. — As  in  the  first  grade.  Special 
exercises  are  unnecessary;  the  various  subjects  of 
study  afford  ample  opportunity  and  demand  this 
treatment.  Guidance  should  be  unobtrusive  but 
faithful.  Bear  in  mind  particularly  the  possibilities 
of  language  development  in  the  studies  of :  (a)  primi- 
tive life;  (b)  nature;  (c)  pictures;  (d)  literature. 

73 


74        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

2.  Story-telling  and  dramatization. — As  in  the 
first  grade.  Stories  previously  learned  should  be 
referred  to  and  retold.  Stories  unused  in  the  first 
year  may  now  be  taught.  Original  stories  should 
be  invited;  good  pictures  will  readily  suggest  in- 
cidents. The  children  should  retell  or  act  out  only 
the  stories  that  are  short  and  simple  in  structure, 
and  should  be  guided  in  preserving  the  sequence 
and  emphasis  of  the  original.  If  the  reproduction 
grows  out  of  a  clear  understanding,  the  more  ol 
the  language  of  the  story  the  children  appropriate 
the  better. 

3.  Memorizing. — As  in  the  first  grade.  Some 
of  the  very  short  pieces  may  be  copied. 

4.  Technical  work. — Secure  the  correct  use  oi 
such  forms  as  the  pupils  require.  These  will  in- 
clude indentation,  certain  uses  of  capitals,  and 
punctuation  with  the  period. 

WORD-STUDY 

Simple  breathing  exercises  and  practice  in  pro- 
nunciation as  in  the  first  grade.  Articulation  of 
consonants  and  molding  of  vowels  should  be  care- 
fully guided.  Employ  the  knowledge  of  phonics 
previously  gained,  and  carry  the  work  forward 
according  to  a  definite  plan.  By  the  end  of  the 
year  the  pupils  should  be  able  to  make  out  for 


SECOND  GRADE  75 

themselves   all   phonetic   words  in   their  reading 
which  are  already  in  their  oral  vocabulary. 

Children  in  the  second  grade  should  lay  the 
foundation  of  a  good  habit  of  spelling.  Accurate 
imaging  of  words,  correct  pronunciation,  and 
graphic  expression  are  the  important  factors.  Oral 
spelling  should  accompany  and  advance  beyond  the 
written  work,  which  is  still  limited.  The  pupils 
should  spell  freely  the  words  they  have  known 
longest  and  have  most  commonly  used. 

READING 

Pupils  should  read  for  the  same  reason  as  adults, 
that  is,  because  they  are  interested.  If  the  work 
of  the  first  year  has  been  skilfully  done  and  a  supply 
of  suitable  books  is  at  hand,  they  will  do  so.  The 
business  of  the  teacher  is  to  relate  the  lessons 
properly  to  the  other  activities,  and  to  guide  the 
children  in  forming  a  sound,  adaptable  habit  of 
reading.  A  daily  grind  through  a  prescribed 
reader  can  never  accomplish  this.  Discriminat- 
ing use  should  be  made  of  the  blackboard,  of 
printed  slips,  and  of  such  a  variety  of  reading- 
books  as  is  indicated  below.  In  the  oral  reading 
distinctness,  appropriate  expression,  and  pleasing 
tones  of  voice  should  be  secured.  Pupils  should  not 
try  to  give  thought  until  they  have  thought  to  give. 


76        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 
LITERATURE 

As  in  the  first  grade.  Favorite  stories  should 
be  dramatized,  with  due  care  for  the  development 
of  good  dialogue;  and  after  the  poems  are  under- 
stood, they  should  be  memorized  and  recited  as 
perfectly  as  possible.  Many  of  the  selections  in  the 
first-grade  list  appear  in  the  reading-books  men- 
tioned for  this  year.  Pupils  will  obtain  both 
pleasure  and  profit  from  reading  these  for  them- 
selves. Selections  should  frequently  be  read  to 
the  class  by  the  teacher,  with  no  attempt  at  formal 
instruction.  A  list  of  books  containing  material 
adapted  to  this  kind  of  treatment  will  be  found  in 
the  Appendix.  Such  exercises,  however,  must  on 
no  account  degenerate  into  mere  filling  of  time. 
(See  the  section  on  Literature  in  the  "Outline  of 
Theory.") 

Stories 

As  in  Grade  I,  the  following  stories  are  suggested  for  literary 
study  and  incidental  training  in  composition.  The  treatment 
should  generally  consist  of  telling  by  the  teacher,  but  a  few  of 
the  longer  pieces  are  better  adapted  to  reading  than  telling.  In 
this,  certain  children  may  be  able  to  assist.  For  explanation  of 
the  system  of  indexing  see  the  first-year  list 

*Androclus  and  the  Lion,  f.e.,  L.R.-m.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
*Arachne,  f.g.m.,  Lillian  Hyde. 
*Baucis  and  Philemon,  o.t.r.,  s.o.g.,  Alice  Zimmern. 
Beauty  and  the  Beast,  o.f.b.,  l.r.-ui.,  Clifton  Johnson. 


SECOND  GRADE  77 

*The  Children  in  the  Moon,  b.n.m.,  Florence  Holbrook. 

The  Cyclops,  o.,  Homer. 

Daniel  in  the  Lion's  Den,  d.b.s.,  The  Bible. 

Dick  Whittington  and  His  Cat,  e.f.t.,  H.o.-n.,  Joseph 

Jacobs. 
*The  Dog  and  His  Image,  f.e.,  H.o.-n.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
*The  Dog  in  the  Manger,  F.E.,  H.o.-n.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
*Echo  and  Narcissus,  t.a.g.,  f.g.m.,  G.  W.  Cox. 

Epaminondas  and  His  Auntie,  s.t.c,  Sara  Cone  Bryant. 
*The  Field  Mouse  and  the  Town  Mouse,  H.o.-n.,  l.r.-hl, 

Charles  Eliot  Norton. 
*The  Fisherman  and  His  Wife,  ex.,  o.f.b.,  Margaret  Hunt. 

The  Fisherman  and  the  Genie,  a.n.t.,   s.a.n.,  Andrew 
Lang. 

The  Flax,  w.s.,  h.a.s.,  Hans  Christian  Andersen. 

The  Foolish  Weather  Vane,  i.s.l.,  Elizabeth  Harrison. 
*The  Fox  and  the  Crow,  f.e.,  f.f.s.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
*The  Gingerbread  Man,  s.t.c,  Sara  Cone  Bryant. 
*The  Golden  Touch,  L.R.-n.,  f.g.m.,  Franklin  T.  Baker. 

Goody  Two  Shoes,  H.o.-n.,  Charles  Eliot  Norton. 

Graciosa  and  Percinet,  f.s.,  Madame  de  Beaumont. 

Hansel  and  Grethel,  g.t.-l,  g.h.t.,  Margaret  Hunt. 

Hans  and  Four  Big  Giants,  i.s.l.,  Elizabeth  Harrison. 

Hans  in  Luck,  g.t.-i.,  g.h.t.,  b.f.b.,  Margaret  Hunt. 

The  Happy  Family,  w.s.,  Hans  Christian  Andersen. 

Hiawatha's  Gifts  to  Men,  Henry  W.  Longfellow 

*How  Fire  Was  Brought  to  the  Indians,  b.n.m.,  Florence 
Holbrook. 

Lady  Featherflight,  o.f.b.,  Clifton  Johnson. 
*The  Lark  and  the  Farmer,  f.e.,  f.s.f.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
*Little  Half-Chick,  s.t.c.,  Sara  Cone  Bryant. 
*Lox  and  the  Three  Fires,  i.f.t.,  Mary  H.  Wade. 


78        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

*Mr.  Vinegar,  e.f.t.,  o.f.b.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 

The  Nightingale,  w.s.,  s.x.c,  Hans  Christian  Andersen. 

Princet  and  the  Golden  Blackbird,  f.s.f.,  James  Baldwin. 

Puss  in  Boots,  t.m.g.,  f.f.s.,  Charles  Welsh. 

Raggylug,  w.a.k.,  h.s.c.,  Ernest  Thomson-Seton. 

Reynard  the  Fox,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
*The  Star  and  the  Lily,  i.f.t.,  Mary  H.  Wade. 
*The  Story  of  the  First  Humming-Bird,  b.n.m.,  Florence 
Holbrook. 

The  Story  of  Joseph,  d.b.s.,  The  Bible. 

The  Three  Sillies,  e.f.t.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 

Tom  Tit  Tot,  e.f.t.,  o.f.b.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 

The  Ugly  Duckling,  w.s.,  L.R.-m.,  b.f.b.,  Hans  Christian 
Andersen. 

Ulysses  and  the  Bag  of  Winds,  c,  L.R.-n.,  Homer. 
*The  Valiant  Taylor,  g.t.-l,  g.h.t.,  Margaret  Hunt. 

The  Water  of  Life,  G.T.-n.,  Margaret  Hunt. 
*Why   Br'er   Bar   Has   No   Tail,    u.R.s.,    Joel    Chandler 
Harris. 

Why  the  Sea  Is  Salt,  p.t.n.,  L.R.-n.,  George  Webb  Dasent. 
*The  Wolf  and  the  Lamb,  f.e.,  H.o.-n.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 

Poems 

Autumn  Fires,  C.G.,  g.p.-l,  R.  L.  Stevenson. 

The  Bee  and  the  Flower,  Alfred  Tennyson. 

The  Bluebird,  p.r.,  G.p.-m.,  Emily  Huntington  Miller. 

Daisies,  G.p.-n.,  l.f.l.,  Frank  Dempster  Sherman. 

Dandelions,  P.R.,  G.P.-n.,  Nellie  M.  Garabrant. 

A  Dream  Lesson,  l.r.-l,  Carolyn  Wells. 

The  Duck  and  the  Kangaroo,  p.c.L.,  Edward  Lear. 

The  Duel,  l.l.,  p.c.L.,  Eugene  Field. 

The  Fairies,  l.s.-l,  p.r.,  William  Allingham. 


SECOND  GRADE  79 

Farewell  to  the  Farm,  C.G.,  R.  L.  Stevenson. 

Father  in  Heaven,  We  Thank  Thee,  N.v.,  Ralph  Waldo 

Emerson. 
Foreign  Children,  C.G.,  p.g.-l,  R.  L.  Stevenson. 
The  Hayloft,  c.G.,  R.  L.  Stevenson. 
Hie  Away,  g.p.-i.,  l.r.-h.,  Walter  Scott. 
How  the  Leaves  Came  Down,  p.r.,  P.G.-n.,  Susan  Coolidge. 
Hush,  the  Waves  Are  Rolling  In,  L.s.-i.,  p.g.-i.  (Old  Gaelic). 
Lady  Moon,  l.s.-i.,  p.r.,  Lord  Houghton. 
The  Lamb,  p.r.,  g.p.-ii.,  William  Blake. 
The  Land  of  Story  Books,  c.G.,  p.g.-i.,  R.  L.  Stevenson. 
Little  Gustava,  p.r.,  l.r.-h.,  Celia  Thaxter. 
Milking  Time,  S.S.,  p.r.,  Christina  Rossetti. 
Robin  Redbreast,  p.r.,  G.P.-n.,  William  Allingham. 
Seven  Times  One,  l.s.-i.,  p.r.,  Jean  Ingelow. 
Shadow-Town  Fairy,  g.m.,  p.g.-i.,  L.  D.  Rice. 
Singing,  c.G.,  l.r.-h.,  R.  L.  Stevenson. 
Song  of  the  Busy  Bee,  N.v.,  G.p.-m.,  Marian  Douglas. 
Thanksgiving  Day,  p.r.,  G.P.-n.,  Lydia  M.  Child. 
What  the  Winds  Bring,  p.r.,  Edmund  C.  Stedman. 
Who  Stole  the  Bird's  Nest  ?  l.s.-i.,  G.P.-n.,  Lydia  M.  Child. 
Why  Do  Bells  of  Christmas  Ring?    p.r.,  L.  A.  Coonley- 

Ward. 
Windy  Nights,  c.G.,  p.r.,  R.  L.  Stevenson. 
Winter  Time,  c.G.,  R.  L.  Stevenson. 
Wynken,  Blynken,  and  Nod,  p.g.-i.,  G.P.-n.,  Eugene  Field. 

Reading-Books 

i.  Life  in  Many  Lands:  Early  Cave  Men  (Dopp);  Es- 
kimo Stories  (Smith);  Five  Little  Strangers  (Schwartz); 
In  Field  and  Pasture  (Dutton);  Little  Folks  of  Many  Louis 
(Chance);  Stories  of  Indian  Children  (Husted). 


80        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

2.  Out-of-Doors :  All  the  Year  Round  (Spring  and 
Autumn). 

3.  Pictures:  Art-Literature  Readers,  Book  II. 

4.  Literature:  Child  Classics  Second  Reader;  Child  Life 
in  Tale  and  Fable,  Graded  Classics  II;  Graded  Literature 
Second  Reader;  Heart  of  Oak,  Book  II;  Horace  Mann 
Second  Reader;  Poetry  Reader,  I;  Progressive  Road  to 
Reading,  Second  Book;  Second  Fairy  Reader;  Second-Year 
Language  Reader  (Baker);  Silver  Burdett  Reader;  Summers 
Second  Reader;  Work  That  Is  Play  (Gardner). 

5.  Miscellaneous:  Aldine  Second  Reader;  Blodgett 
Second  Reader;  Boy  Blue  and  His  Friends  (Blaisdell); 
Children's  Classics  in  Dramatic  Form  (Stevenson);  Far 
East  and  Far  West  Red  Children  (Brooks);  Howe  Second 
Reader;  Reynard  the  Fox  (Smyth) ;  Stories  of  Mother  Goose 
Village  (Bigham);   Wide-Awake  Second  Reader. 


THE  THIRD  GRADE 

COMPOSITION 

The  growing  importance  of  writing  must  not 
cause  neglect  of  systematic  instruction  in  oral  com- 
position.   The  opportunities  for  training  include: 

i.  Recitation. — The  pupil's  effort  at  any  time  to 
say  clearly  and  exactly  what  he  observes,  thinks,  or 
knows  should  be  regarded  as  composition  and 
guided  accordingly,  with  faithfulness  and  judg- 
ment. The  conversational  attitude  should  be 
preserved. 

2.  Oral  story. — Repeating  of  stories  should  yield 
place  slowly  to  original  creation.  Literature, 
pictures,  nature,  play,  and  work  will  readily  pro- 
vide suggestive  interests.  The  teacher's  chief 
business  is  to  lead  the  children  to  realize  their 
experience  and  to  cast  it  in  purposeful  and  well- 
planned  expression. 

3.  Writing. — The  written  composition  will  in- 
volve the  paragraph  (sentence-group)  as  a  unit  of 
expression.  The  form  and  use  of  it  can  be  easily 
learned  from  the  readers.  The  pupils  should  be 
taught,  in  a  simple  way,  how  to  think  out  a  subject 
in  parts  and  how  to  place  these  parts  in  a  definite 
order.     They  should  also  learn   to  write  simple 

81 


82         ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

dramatizations  and  letters  of  friendship.  The 
poems  to  be  learned  should  be  copied  in  a  special 
book,  which  may  be  illustrated. 

4.  Technical  work. — Without  doubt  the  class  will 
need  to  know:  (a)  that  capitals  are  used  to  begin 
each  line  of  verse,  for  certain  abbreviations,  in 
headings  and  titles,  in  writing  initials,  the  pronoun 
I,  the  exclamation  0,  names  of  the  months,  etc., 
as  well  as  at  the  beginning  of  each  sentence;  (b) 
that  each  sentence  must  end  with  a  period,  ques- 
tion mark,  or  exclamation  point;  (c)  that  the 
period  is  used  with  initials  and  abbreviations;  (d) 
that  the  comma  is  used  in  certain  parts  of  a  letter 
and  as  an  apostrophe  in  possessives;  (e)  that 
margins  must  be  observed.  Mistakes  in  grammar 
should  generally  be  corrected  when  made.  Drills 
to  impress  the  correct  forms  will,  at  times,  be 
necessary,  but  they  should  grow  out  of  the  actual 
situation  and  will  vary  with  each  class. 

WORD-STUDY 

Systematic  work  in  phonics  should  be  little 
needed  after  the  third  year.  The  acquirement  of 
the  pupils  entering  the  class  should  be  carefully 
estimated,  and  a  series  of  lessons  planned  to  sup- 
plement and  complete  what  has  been  begun.  Spell- 
ing should  be  closely  related  to  the  study  of  sounds 


^ 
* 


THIRD  GRADE  83 

and  to  the  written  composition.  The  drill  to  be 
provided  should  be  determined  by  the  progress  of 
the  class,  but  regular  lessons  will  always  be  neces- 
sary. Practice  in  correct  breathing  and  pronun- 
ciation should  be  continued. 

READING 

The  process  of  reading  should  be  fairly  mastered 
by  the  close  of  the  third  year.  To  this  end,  a 
variety  of  books  and  other  material  should  be 
employed,  so  as  to  provide  abundant  experience 
in  getting  thought  and  in  conveying  it.  Stress 
should  be  laid  upon  the  reading  to  the  listening 
class  of  considerable  portions  of  selections  by 
individual  pupils  and  upon  the  reading  of  "parts" 
in  dialogue.  Special  pains  should  be  taken  to  put 
interesting  books  in  the  way  of  backward  pupils, 
and  the  voluntary  reading  of  all  should  be  unob- 
trusively guided.  No  pupil  should  be  passed  to 
the  next  grade  who  is  unable  to  read  and  study  the 
books  he  is  required  to  use. 

LITERATURE 

As  before,  including  memorizing  and  oral  expres- 
sion. The  reading-books  for  the  grade  are  largely 
literary  and  contain  versions  of  many  stories  and 
poems  previously  listed.    At  least  one  long  story 


^ 


84        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

which  is  made  up  of  successive,  well-defined  units 
should  be  taught.  The  following  are  suggested: 
(i)  Robinson  Crusoe.  The  versions  by  McMurry 
and  Allison  are  helpful  as  to  the  selection  and 
adaptation  of  incidents,  but  the  teacher  should 
know  the  original  thoroughly.  (2)  The  Story  of 
Troy:  Bryant's  Iliad  as  the  source;  Gale's  Achilles 
and  Hector  and  Church's  Stories  from  Homer  for 
treatment.  (3)  The  Story  of  Siegfried:  Morris' 
Sigurd  the  Volsung,  and  Volsunga  Saga  and  Wag- 
ner's Trilogy  as  the  sources;  Ragozin's  Siegfried  and 
Beowulf,  Baldwin's  Siegfried,  Chapin's  Story  of  the 
Rhinegold,  Barber's  Wagner  Opera  Stories,  Maude's 
Wagner's  Heroines,  Young's  Wagner  Stories  as 
suggestive  versions.  The  story  should  begin  with 
the  sword  and  end  with  the  rescue  of  Brunhilda. 
(See  MacClintock,  Literature  in  the  Elementary 
School,  chap,  viii;  also  paragraph  8  of  section 
III  under  Literature  in  the  "Outline  of  Theory.") 

Stories 

For  explanation  of  the  annotations  see  First  Grade.    The 
stories  are  intended  mainly  for  oral  treatment. 

Aladdin  and  His  Wonderful  Lamp,  H.o.-m.,  s.a.n.,  Horace 

E.  Scudder. 
*Bellerophon,  f.g.m.,  Lillian  Hyde. 
The  Birds  of  Killingworth,  Henry  W.  Longfellow. 


THIRD  GRADE  85 

*The  Burning  of  the  Rice  Fields,  H.s.c,  Sara  Cone  Bryant. 
*Cadmus  and  the  Dragon,  f.g.m.,  Lillian  Hyde. 
*The  Cat,  the  Monkey,  and  the  Chestnuts,  f.e.,  f.f.s., 
Joseph  Jacobs. 

The  Christmas  Rose,  b.t.,  Rudolph  Baumbach. 

The  Clocks  of  Rondaine,  f.t.,  Frank  R.  Stockton. 
*The  Country  Maid   with  Her  Milk   Pail,  f.e.,  H.o.-n., 

Joseph  Jacobs. 
*Cupid  and  Psyche,  f.g.m.,  h.t.,  Edmund  J.  Carpenter. 

A  Dog  of  Flanders,  Madame  de  la  Ramee. 

The  Easter  Rabbit,  b.t.,  Rudolph  Baumbach. 
*Echo,  f.g.m.,  o.t.r.,  Alice  Zimmern. 
The  Fire-Bringer,  h.s.c,  b.w.,  Mary  Austin. 
*The  First  Snowdrops,  b.n.m.,  Florence  Holbrook. 

Fulfilled,  s.t.c.,  f.t. A.,  Svend  Grundtvig. 

The  Golden  Fleece,  l.f.t.,  Edouard  Laboulaye. 
*The  Gold  in  the  Orchard,  s.t.c.,  Sara  Cone  Bryant. 
*The  Gulls  of  Salt  Lake,  s.t.c.,  Sara  Cone  Bryant. 
*Hiacinthus,  f.g.m.,  h.t.,  Edmund  J.  Carpenter. 

Johnny  Bear,  w.a.k.,  Ernest  Thomson-Seton. 

The  King  of  the  Golden  River,  H.s.c,  John  Ruskin. 
The  Legend  of  the  Arbutus,  i.m.,  Ellen  Emerson. 

The  Little  Hero  of  Harlem,  h.s.c,  Sara  Cone  Bryant. 

The  Magic  Fiddle,  o.f.b.,  Clifton  Johnson. 

The  Niirnberg  Stove,  s.H.,  Madame  de  la  Ramee. 
*Orpheus  and  Eurydice,  t.a.g.,  o.t.r.,  George  A.  Cox. 
*Pandora,  t.a.g.,  h.t.,  George  A.  Cox. 

The  Pied  Piper  of  Hamelin,  h.s.c,  Robert  Browning. 

The  Prodigal  Son,  The  Bible. 

Rhoecus,  James  Russell  Lowell. 

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi,  j.b.-i.,  Rudyard  Kipling. 

Sinbad  the  Sailor,  s.a.n.,  Horace  E.  Scudder. 


86        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

The  Snow-Queen,  h.a.s.,  w.s.,  Hans  Christian  Andersen. 

The  Story  of  David,  The  Bible. 

The  Story  of  Samuel,  The  Bible. 
*The  Talkative  Tortoise,  i.f.t.,  s.t.c,  Joseph  Jacobs. 

Toomai  of  the  Elephants,  j.b.-l,  Rudyard  Kipling. 

Uncle  Remus'  Stories,  Joel  Chandler  Harris. 
*William  Tell,  L.R.-n,  b.l.,  Horace  E.  Scudder. 
*The  Wolf  and  the  Crane,  f.e.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 

Poetry 

Answer  to  a  Child's  Question,  l.s.-i.,  p.r.,  Samuel  T.  Cole- 
ridge. 

Ariel's  Song  (from  The  Tempest),  p.g.-ii.,  G.p.-il,  William 
Shakespeare. 

A  Boy's  Song,  l.s.-i.,  g.p.-iv.,  James  Hogg. 

A  Child's  Evening  Prayer,  G.p.-m.,  Sabine  Baring-Gould. 

The  Child's  World,  l.s.-i.,  p.r.,  William  B.  Rands. 

Fairies  of  the  Caldon  Low,  G.p.-m.,  p.r.,  Mary  Howitt. 

Fern  Song,  L.R.-m.,  p.r.,  John  B.  Tabb. 

The  Flight  of  the  Birds,  a.a.,  Edmund  C.  Stedman. 

Foreign  Lands,  c.G.,  p.g.-l,  R.  L.  Stevenson. 

Hiawatha  (selections),  Henry  W.  Longfellow. 

Japanese  Lullaby,  p.r.,  p.g.-l,  Eugene  Field. 

The  Kitten  and  the  Falling  Leaves,  p.r.,  l.s.-i.,  William 
Wordsworth. 

Little  Dandelion,  l.s.-i.,  Helen  B.  Bostwick. 

Marjorie's  Almanac,  p.r.,  n.v.,  Thomas  Bailey  Aldrich. 

My  Bed  Is  a  Boat,  c.G.,  R.  L.  Stevenson. 

Norse  Lullaby,  p.g.-l,  Eugene  Field. 

Now  the  Day  Is  Over,  p.c.l.,  Sabine  Baring-Gould. 

The  Oak  Tree,  P.G.,  Mary  Howitt. 


THIRD  GRADE  87 

Oh,  Where  Do  Fairies  Hide  Their  Heads  ?  L.R.-m.,  Thomas 

H.  Bailey. 
One,  Two,  Three,  p.g.-l,  H.  C.  Bunner. 
The  Owl  and  the  Pussy  Cat,  l.s.-i.,  P.G.-in.,  Edward  Lear. 
The  Twenty-fourth  Psalm,  The  Bible. 
The  Sandman,  p.r.,  g.p.-i.,  Margaret  Vandegrift. 
September,  p.r.,  n.v.,  Helen  Hunt  Jackson. 
The  Snowdrop,  l.s.-i.,  p.g.-l,  Alfred  Tennyson. 
The  Spider  and  the  Fly,  p.g.-l,  c.l.,  Mary  Howitt. 
Spring,  L.c,  Thomas  Nash. 
Sweet  and  Low,  p.r.,  G.p.-m.,  Alfred  Tennyson. 
The  Throstle,  G.p.-m.,  N.v.,  Alfred  Tennyson. 
To  a  Butterfly,  p.G.-m.,  l.s.-l,  William  Wordsworth. 
The  Tree,  l.s.-l,  p.r.,  Bjornstjerne  Bjornson. 
A  Visit  from  St.  Nicholas,  l.s.-l,  p.g.-l,  Clement  Moore. 
The  Voice  of  the  Grass,  p.r.,  n.v.,  Sara  Roberts  Boyle. 
Where  Go  the  Boats?  G.p.-m.,  p.g.-l,  R.  L.  Stevenson. 
Wishing,  l.s.-l,  p.r.,  William  Allingham. 
Young  Night  Thoughts,  C.G.,  R.  L.  Stevenson. 

Reading-Books 

1.  Life  in  Many  Lands:  Child  Life  Third  Reader, 
Glimpses  of  Pioneer  Life  (Livingstone);  Wide-Awake 
Third  Reader. 

2.  Out-of-Doors:  Storks  of  Country  Life  (B radish); 
Stories  of  Humble  Friends  (Pyle);  Stories  of  Woods  and 
Fields  (Brown). 

3.  Literature:  Children's  Classics  in  Dramatic  Form, 
Second  Book  (Stevenson);  Child  Classics  Third  Reader; 
A  Child's  Garden  of  Verses  (Stevenson) ;  Fables  and  Folk 
Stories   (Scudder);    Fairy  Stories   and  Fables   (Baldwin); 


88        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

German  Household  Tales  (Scudder);  Graded  Classics,  III; 
Graded  Literature  Readers,  III;  Hans  Andersen s  Stories 
(Scudder);  Poetry  Reader,  III;  Progressive  Road  to  Read- 
ing, Third  Book;  Silver  Burdett  Reader,  III;  Third-Year 
Language  Reader. 

4.  Miscellaneous:  Achilles  and  Hector  (Gale);  Blodgctt 
Third  Reader;  Fifty  Famous  Stories  (Baldwin) ;  Old  Stories 
of  the  East  (Baldwin) ;  Myths  of  the  Red  Children  (Wilson) ; 
Robinson  Crusoe  (McMurry). 


THE  FOURTH  GRADE 
COMPOSITION 

As  in  the  third  grade,  but  involving  somewhat 
larger  units,  more  definite  knowledge  of  principles, 
and  more  self-reliance  in  creative  effort.  The 
activities  include: 

i .  Recitation. — As  before,  growth  in  the  power  of 
expression  should  keep  pace  with  growth  in  knowl- 
edge and  experience.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind, 
also,  that  the  habit  of  care  in  the  use  of  language 
must  be  constantly  stimulated  or  it  will  readily 
give  way  before  adverse  influences. 

2.  Oral  story. — The  emphasis  should  be  upon 
original  work.  A  beginning  should  be  made  in 
the  definite  study  of  story  structure.  Certain 
stories  may  be  outlined  by  the  class ;  the  knowledge 
thus  gained  will  aid  the  children  in  ordering  the 
parts  of  their  narratives.  These  should  grow  out 
of  various  interests.  Specific  problems  in  story 
composition  should  be  arranged  by  the  teacher, 
such  as  the  completion  of  a  story,  the  filling-out  of 
an  outline  for  a  story,  the  telling  of  a  story  sug- 
gested by  the.  picture  of  an  action  or  a  situation 
or  by  a  connotative  passage  in  literature,  the  mak- 
ing of  an  imaginary  biography,  etc. 

8g 


90        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

3.  Writing. — Dramatizations  should  from  time 
to  time,  be  written  out;  likewise,  some  of  the 
shorter  narratives.  The  descriptive  element  in 
narration  will  require  special  attention  but  should 
be  handled  very  simply.  Many  observations  and 
experiences,  both  in  school  and  out,  will  deserve 
formulation.  The  organization  of  the  theme  into 
sentences  and  paragraphs  should  be  carefully 
directed.  Feeling  for  order  and  connection  may 
be  cultivated  by  means  of  oral  presentation.  The 
class  should  learn  how  to  make  an  outline  of  their 
material,  but  they  should  use  the  device  sparingly. 
Continue  practice  in  writing  and  sending  letters  of 
friendship.  Let  the  pupils  criticize  their  own 
written  work  before  submitting  it. 

4.  Technical  work. — See  the  third-grade  outline. 
In  addition,  pupils  will  need  to  know  how  to  write 
quotations,  conversation,  contractions,  words  in  a 
series,  and  terms  of  address.  The  correct  form 
should  be  learned  from  observation  and  enforced 
by  practice.  Incidental  instruction  in  grammar 
should  be  given  as  needed. 

WORD-STUDY 

Occasional  instruction  in  phonics  and  persistent 
effort  to  secure  good  pronunciation  by  training  the 
ear  constitute  one  phase ;  oral  and  written  spelling 


FOURTH  GRADE  91 

as  determined  by  the  actual  needs,  the  other.  The 
teacher  should  aim  at  the  formation  of  a  good 
habit  of  spelling  as  well  as  at  the  securing  of  imme- 
diate results.  Make  the  attack  versatile.  (See 
the  section  on  Spelling  in  the  "Outline  of  Theory.") 

READING 

The  material  should  be  mainly  literary.  The 
practice  in  oral  expression  should  be  sufficient  to 
enable  all  to  read  aloud  pleasantly  and  intelligently. 
One  of  the  principal  aims  should  be  to  teach  chil- 
dren how  to  study  a  book  so  as  to  grasp  its  essential 
meaning. 

LITERATURE 

As  before,  but  with  more  reading  by  the  chil- 
dren and  more  mature  handling  of  the  various 
interests  (see  Chubb,  Teaching  of  English,  chap, 
vi).  One  or  more  of  the  following  longer  works 
should  be  taught,  as  in  third  grade:  (1)  Lisbeth 
Long  frock,  from  the  Norwegian  of  Hans  Aanrud, 
by  Laura  E.  Poulsson.  This  story  contains  much 
of  the  poetry  of  the  simple  life.  (2)  The  Story  of 
Ulysses :  Palmer's  or  Bryant's  Odyssey  as  the  source ; 
Cook's  (Mrs.  Gale's)  Ulysses,  Church's  Stories 
from  Homer,  Perry's  The  Boy's  Odyssey,  Burt's 
Odysseus  as  suggestive  in  treatment.  (3)  The 
Story  of  Beowulf:   Earl's  Deeds  of  Beowulf,  Hall's 


92         ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

Beowulf  in  Modem  Verse,  or  Tinker's  Beowulf  as 
the  source;  John  Gibb's  Beowulf  (in  the  Chil- 
dren's Hour,  Vol.  IV),  Holbrook's  Northland 
Heroes,  and  Price's  Heroes  of  Myth  as  suggestive  in 
adaptation.  (4)  Alice  in  Wonderland,  by  Charles 
L.  Dodgson;  Little  Mr.  Thimblefinger  Stories,  by 
Joel  Chandler  Harris,  for  fun  and  fancy.  (5) 
Children  of  History,  early  times  and  later  times,  by 
Mary  S.  Hancock. 

Stories 

For  the  system  of  indexing  see  the  First  Grade.  The  stories 
are  intended  mainly  for  oral  treatment,  though  many  of  them 
will  be  found  in  the  reading-books  named  below. 

Ali  Baba  and  the  Forty  Robbers,  s.a.n.,  Horace  E.  Scudder. 

The  Bear  and  the  Troll,  L.R.-m.  (Norse  tale). 
*The  Camel  and  His  Master,  f.s.f.,  James  Baldwin. 

Boum-Boum,  B.R.-rv.,  Jules  Claretie. 
*A  Child's  Dream  of  a  Star,  Charles  Dickens. 

Christmas  at  the  Cratchits,  Charles  Dickens. 

The   Christmas    Cuckoo    (from    The   Wonderful   Chair), 
G.C.-rv.,  Francis  Brown. 

Cosette  (from  Les  mistrables),  c.L.R.-rv.,  Victor  Hugo. 

Daddy  Jake,  the  Runaway,  B.R.-rv.,  Joel  Chandler  Harris. 

The  Dog  of  Villemarie,  b.r.-iv.,  M.  A.  L.  Lane. 
*The  Fairy,  the  Lark,  and  the  Grasshopper,  s. B.R.-rv.,  Jean 

Ingelow. 
*The  Flying  Dutchman,  b.l.,  Horace  E.  Scudder. 
*The  Goose  That  Laid  Golden  Eggs,  f.e.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
The  Hare  and  the  Tortoise,  f.e.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 


FOURTH  GRADE  93 

How  I  Helped  Build  a  Nest  (from  A-Birding  on  a  Broncho), 

l.r.-iv.,  Florence  A.  Merriam. 
*The  Jackal  and  the  Partridge  (from  Talcs  of  the  Punjab), 

l.r.-iv.,  Flora  Annie  Steele. 
*The  Jealous  Courtiers,  s.t.c,  Sara  Cone  Bryant. 
*The  Judgment  of  Midas,  H.s.c,  Sara  Cone  Bryant. 
Kaa's  Hunting  (from  Jungle  Book  I),  Rudyard  Kipling. 
The  Labors  of  Hercules,  f.g.m.,  t.a.g.,  Lillian  Hyde. 
*The  Legend  of  St.  Christopher,  b.l.,  l.r.-iv.,  Horace  E. 

Scudder. 
The  Little  Lame  Prince,  Dinah  Maria  Mulock. 
The  Little  Post  Boy  (from  Boys  oj  Other  Countries),  g.c.-iv., 

Bayard  Taylor. 
The  Lotus  Eaters,  t.a.g.,  George  W.  Cox. 
The  Man  Who  Never  Was  Scolded,  B.R.-rv.,  Hans  Christian 

Andersen. 
Mowgli's  Brothers  (from  Jungle  Book  I),  Rudyard  Kip- 
ling. 
Mr.  Seguin's  Goat,  l.r.-iv.,  Alphonse  Daudet. 
On  the  Road  to  Turin  (from  The  Cardinal's  Sniiff-Box) , 

B.R.-rv.,  Henry  Harland. 
Perseus,  g.h.,  Charles  Kingsley. 

*Peter  Klaus  and  the  Goat  Herd,  t.m.f.s.,  James  Baldwin. 
The    Pine-Tree    Shillings    (from    Grandfather's    Chair), 

Nathaniel  Hawthorne. 
*Prometheus,  f.g.m.,  t.a.g.,  Lillian  Hyde. 
Skipper,  L.R.-rv.,  Sewell  Ford. 
The  Spelling  Match  (from  Emmy  Lou),  l.r.-iv.,  George 

Madden  Martin. 
*St.  George  and  the  Dragon,  b.l.,  Horace  E.  Scudder. 
St.  Gerasimus  and  the  Lion,  b.s.f.b.,  Abbie  Farwell  Brown. 
The  Story  of  Abraham,  d.b.s.,  The  Bible. 


94        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

The  Story  of  Prince  Ahmed,  S.A.N.,  g.l.r.-IV.,  Horace  E. 

Scudder. 
The  Story  of  Ruth,  d.b.s.,  The  Bible. 
The  Sword  Excalibur,  Sir  Thomas  Malory. 
*Tarpeia,  H.s.c,  Sara  Cone  Bryant. 
When  the  Sun  Rises,  s.B.R.-rv.,  Albrekt  Segerstedt. 
Why  Mr.  Billy  Goat's  Tail  Is  Short  (from  Little  Mr. 

Thimblefinger) ,  Joel  Chandler  Harris. 
The  Wood  Pigeons  and  Mary,  b.r.-iv.,  Mrs.  Molesworth. 

Poetry 

Abou  ben  Adhem,  l.s.-l,  g.n.,  Leigh  Hunt. 

Alec  Yeaton's  Son,  l.s.-i.,  Thomas  Bailey  Aldrich. 

The  Captain's  Daughter,  l.s.-i.,  c.l.,  James  T.  Fields. 

A  Child's  Thought  of  God,  p.r.,  p.g.-l,  Elizabeth  Barrett 

Browning. 
The  Children's  Hour,  g.p.-iv.,  Henry  W.  Longfellow. 
Evening  at  the  Farm,  p.g.-l,  g.p.-iv.,  John  T.  Trowbridge. 
Fairy   Song    (from   The   Culprit  Fay),    g.p.-iv.,   Joseph 

Rodman  Drake. 
Father  Is  Coming,  l.r.-iv.,  Mary  Howitt. 
The  First  Psalm,  The  Bible. 
The    First    Snow-Fall    (four    stanzas),     l.r.-iv.,    James 

Russell  Lowell. 
The  Fountain,  l.s.-l,  p.r.,  James  Russell  Lowell. 
Four-Leaf  Clover,  l.r.-v.,  l.c,  Ella  Higginson. 
The  Frost  Spirit,  G.p.-m.,  John  G.  Whittier. 
Gasper  Becerra,  Henry  W.  Longfellow. 
The  Gladness  of  Nature,  g.p.-iv.,  William  Cullen  Bryant. 
The  Jabberwocky  (from  Through  the  Looking  Glass),  b.n.v., 

Charles  L.  Dodgson. 
Jack  Frost,  p.g.-l,  c.l.,  Hannah  F.  Gould. 


FOURTH  GRADE  95 

Jack  in  the  Pulpit,  N.v.,  g.p.-iv.,  Clara  Smith. 

Little  Bell,  g.p.-l,  l.s.-l,  Thomas  Westwood. 

Little  Brown  Hands,  ex.,  M.  H.  Krout. 

Lucy  Gray,  l.r.-iv.,  c.l.,  Wilham  Wordsworth. 

Lullaby,  l.r.-iv.,  l.c,  Thomas  Dekker. 

The  Mountain  and  the  Squirrel,  L.s.-i.,  p.g.-L,  Ralph 
Waldo  Emerson. 

October's  Bright  Blue  Weather,  N.v.,  G.N.,  Helen  Hunt 
Jackson. 

Over  Hill,  over  Dale  (from  A  Midsummer-Night's  Dream), 
G.P.-m.,  L.c,  William  Shakespeare. 

The  Owl,  p.r.,  g.p.-i.,  Alfred  Tennyson. 

The  Pet  Lamb,  g.p.-iv.,  William  Wordsworth. 

The  Rivulet,  p.r.,  Lucy  Larcom. 

Robert  of  Lincoln,  l.s.-l,  g.p.,  William  Cullen  Bryant. 

The  Sandpiper,  C.L.,  p.g.-L,  Celia  Thaxter. 

The  Song  of  the  Brook,  l.s.-l,  p.g.-l,  Alfred  Tennyson. 

The  Three  Bells,  l.s.-l,  John  G.  Whittier. 

The  Twenty-third  Psalm,  The  Bible. 

The  Village  Blacksmith,  l.s.-l,  p.g.-l,  Henry  W.  Long- 
fellow. 

The  Walrus  and  the  Carpenter,  b.n.v.,  Charles  L.  Dodgson. 

While  Shepherds  Watched  Their  Flocks  by  Night,  g.p.-iv., 
p.r.,  Nahum  Tate. 

Winter  (from  the  Song  of  the  Wrens),  P.G.-L,  Alfred  Tenny- 
son. 

The  Wreck  of  the  Hesperus,  L.s.-L,  Henry  W.  Longfellow. 

Written  in  March,  p.g.-l,  g.p. -v.,  Wilham  Wordsworth. 

Reading-Books 
i.  Literature:  A rabian  Nights  (Hale) ;  A  Book  of  Legends 
(Scudder);    Child-Life  Fourth  Reader  (Blaisdell);    Chinese 


96        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

Fables  and  Folk  Stories  (Chow-Leung);  Fourth-Year 
Language  Reader  (Baker) ;  Graded  Classics,  IV  (Norvell) ; 
Graded  Literature  Fourth  Reader  (Judson) ;  Heroes  of  Myth 
(Price) ;  Japanese  Fairy  Tales  (WilKston) ;  Northland 
Heroes  (Holbrook);  Old  Greek  Stories  (Baldwin);  Old 
Indian  Legends  (Zitkala-Sa) ;  Poetry  Reader,  IV  (Blake) ; 
Silver  Burdett  Reader,  IV  (Powers) ;  The  Story  of  Ulysses 
(Cook) ;  Children 's  Classics  in  Dramatic  Form,  Third  Book 
(Stevenson);  Animal  Fables  (Swafford). 

2.  Miscellaneous:  America's  Story  for  America's  Chil- 
dren (Pratt) ;  A  Boy  on  a  Farm  (Abbott) ;  Little  Stories  of 
France  (Dutton);  Stories  of  American  Life  and  Adventure 
(Eggleston) ;  Stories  of  Pioneer  Life  (Bass) ;  Stories  from 
American  History  (Turpin);  Thirty  More  Fatnous  Stories 
Retold  (Baldwin);  Wilderness  Babies  (Schwartz). 


THE   FIFTH   GRADE 

COMPOSITION 

Consider  carefully  what  has  been  attempted  in 
the  first  four  years.  Keep  the  balance  between 
practice  in  speaking  and  practice  in  writing.  The 
tendency  to  dependence  upon  books,  likely  to 
become  marked  in  the  fifth  grade,  should  be  met 
with  much  invention  based  upon  experience. 
Examples  of  good  expression  should  be  used  to 
teach  method,  not  to  provide  material  already 
formulated.  The  definite  instruction  in  facts  and 
principles  which  should  be  given  is  indicated 
below.  (See  section  IV  under  Composition  in  the 
"Outline  of  Theory.") 

i.  Oral  composition. — In  all  recitations,  English 
or  other,  pupils  should  be  taught  to  say  clearly 
and  coherently  exactly  what  they  mean.  Repeat- 
ing of  stories  should  usually  be  only  a  means  to 
more  perfectly  ordered  original  work.  Much  of 
the  material  to  be  written  should  first  be  presented 
or  discussed  orally.  Carry  on  the  work  suggested 
under  Oral  Story  in  the  Fourth  Grade.  Discus- 
sion of  current  events  and  talks  about  books  will 
be  profitable. 

2.  Written  composition. — There  should  be  many, 

97 


98        ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

almost  daily,  short  exercises  and  a  few  longer 
papers  as  occasion  demands.  The  various  subjects 
of  study,  together  with  literary  composition,  will 
involve  all  the  "forms  of  discourse,"  but,  while 
definite  instruction  should  be  given,  no  attempt 
at  a  course  in  narration,  exposition,  etc.,  should  be 
made.  All  the  pupils  should  be  able  to  plan  their 
papers,  to  criticize  their  own  first  drafts,  and  to 
make  definite  suggestions  upon  the  work  of  others. 
In  letter-writing,  as  well  as  in  other  exercises,  it  will 
be  found  profitable  to  permit  the  class  to  relate, 
describe,  or  explain  from  the  point  of  view  of 
another;  for  example,  a  character  in  a  story  or  a 
person  on  his  travels.  The  letter  of  business 
should  be  taught — as  far  as  possible  through  actual 
transactions.  Pupils  should  always  examine  care- 
fully the  corrections  made  by  the  teacher,  and, 
unless  the  work  is  fairly  good,  should  rewrite. 

3.  Technical  work. — Correct  usage  in  the  forms 
already  employed  should  be  insisted  upon  and 
additional  usages  explained  as  need  arises.  Teach 
the  use  of  the  hyphen  in  compound  words  and  in 
word-breaking,  and  of  the  comma  to  separate  the 
parts  of  a  compound  sentence  and  to  set  off  phrases 
and  responsives. 

Both  reading  and  composition  will  require  occa- 
sional   instruction    in    grammar.     Pupils    should 


FIFTH  GRADE  99 

learn  to  distinguish  subject  and  predicate,  adjec- 
tive and  adverbial  modifers,  pronoun  and  ante- 
cedent, correct  verb  forms,  inflections  of  pronouns, 
plurals  of  nouns,  and  correct  uses  of  common  con- 
nectives. Attention  to  these  facts  should  be 
entirely  a  part  of,  and  contributory  to,  the  work  in 
reading  and  composition. 

WORD-STUDY 

The  special  work  of  the  grade  is  to  learn  to  use 
the  dictionary.  The  class  should  learn  not  only 
what  can  be  found  in  the  book,  but  also  when  it 
should  be  appealed  to.  (See  section  VI  under 
Word-Study  in  the  "Outline  of  Theory.")  Spell- 
ing-lessons should  be  made  up  from  the  words  the 
class  are  using,  but  there  should  be  an  attempt  to 
group  also,  in  order  to  teach  principles  of  spelling. 
In  this  connection  a  good  spelling-book  is  a  useful 
auxiliary. 

LITERATURE 

The  study  of  literature  will  provide  all  the  prac- 
tice in  oral  reading  that  is  necessary.  Pupils 
should  be  taught  how  to  get  the  thought  in  all  the 
texts  and  supplementary  books  used.  Oral  litera- 
ture and  learning  by  heart  should  continue. 
Assignments  should  be  definite  and  suggestive. 
Provide  useful  collateral  material.     (See  the  out- 


ioo      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

line  for  the  Fourth  Grade;  also  Chubb,  chap,  ix, 
and  the  references  on  Literature  in  the  "Outline 
of  Theory.")  The  following  are  suggested  as 
available  for  definite  class  reading  and  discussion: 
(i)  A  Dog  of  Flanders,  by  Louise  de  la  Ramee. 
(2)  Some  Merry  Adventures  of  Robin  Hood,  by 
Howard  Pyle.  The  teacher  should  know  the  bal- 
lads and  should  develop  carefully  a  healthy  point 
of  view.  The  versions  by  Lansing,  Buckingham, 
and  Tappan  should  be  consulted  (see  MacClin- 
tock,  chap.  viii).  (3)  The  Golden  Fleece,  by  James 
Baldwin.  Gayley's  Classic  Myths  and  Morris' 
Life  and  Death  of  Jason  are  useful;  also  the  ver- 
sions by  Kingsley,  Church,  Zimmern,  Cox,  and 
Niebuhr.  (4)  Favorite  Greek  Myths,  by  Lillian  S. 
Hyde,  supplemented  by  Peabody's  Old  Greek  Folk 
Stories,  Carpenter's  Hellenic  Tales,  and  Zimmern's 
Old  Tales  from  Greece.  (5)  Wood  Folk  at  School,  by 
William  J.  Long.  (6)  Poetry  Reader,  No.  5,  by 
Katherine  D.  Blake  and  Georgia  Alexander.  (7) 
Fanciful  Tales,  by  Frank  Stockton,  edited  by 
Julia  Langworthy.  (8)  Boy  Life,  selections  from 
Howells,  edited  by  Percival  Chubb. 

Prose 

The  material  in  the  following  list,  mostly  stories,  is  intended 
to  supplement  the  regular  reader  and  the  longer  selections  named 
above.    When  possible,  the  reading  should  be  largely  by  the 


FIFTH  GRADE  101 

children.  Some  of  the  pieces  will  provide  useful  examples  of 
composition.  The  abbreviations  refer  to  titles  listed  in  the  Ap- 
pendix. 

*  The  Archery  Contest  (from  Ivanhoe),  b.r.-iv.,  Walter  Scott. 
The  Adventure  of  the  Enchanted  Bark  (from  Don  Quixote), 

b.r.-iv.,  Miguel  de  Cervantes. 

Billy  Beg  and  His  Bull,  h.s.c,  Seumas  McManus. 
vThe  Capture  of  a  Whale  (from  The  Cruise  of  the  Cachalot), 
l.r.-iv.,  Frank  T.  Bullen. 

The  Chimaera  (from  The  Wonder  Book),  Nathaniel  Haw- 
thorne. 

A  Christmas  Fantasy,  b.r.-iv.,  Thomas  Bailey  Aldrich. 

Eppie's  Punishment  (from  Silas  M artier),  g.l.r.-iv.,  George 
Eliot. 

A  Farewell  Appearance,  g.l.r.-v.,  F.  Anstey. 

The  Frigate  and  the  Galleys  (from  The  Blue  Pavilions), 
g.l.r.-v.,  A.  T.  Quiller-Couch. 

The  Golden  Touch  (from  The  Wonder  Book),  Nathaniel 
Hawthorne. 

•  The  Gorgon's  Head  (from  The  Wonder  Book),  Nathaniel 

Hawthorne. 
Japanese  Folk  Stories  and  Fairy  Tales,  Mary  F.  Nixon- 

Roulet. 
Jean  Bart's  Pipe,  b.r.-iv.,  Alexander  Dumas. 
^.The  King  of  the  Golden  River,  John  Ruskin. 
The  Last  Lesson,  b.r.-iv.,  Alphonse  Daudet. 
Maggie  Tulliver  and  the  Gypsies  (from  The  Mill  on  the 

Floss),  George  Eliot. 
Moni,  the  Goat  Boy,  Frau  Johanna  Spyri. 
The  Niirnberg  Stove,  Louise  de  la  Ramee. 
The  Page  Story-Book   (edited  by   Frank  E.  Spaulding), 

Thomas  Nelson  Page. 


102       ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

The  Princess  Alicia  (from  A  Holiday  Romance),  b.r.-iv., 
Charles  Dickens. 

The  Pygmies   (from   Tanglewood   Tales),  Nathaniel  Haw- 
thorne. 

The  Punchinellos,  Katherine  W.  Davis. 

Robinson  Crusoe,  Daniel  Defoe. 

The  Secrets  of  the  Woods,  William  J.  Long. 

The  Snow-Image,  Nathaniel  Hawthorne. 

The  Story  of  the  Caliph  Stork,  William  Hauff. 

The  Story  of  Florinda,  g.l.r.-iv.,  Abby  Morton  Diaz. 

The  Story  of  Frithiof,  c.H.,  j.t.b.,  Julia  Goddard. 
.The  Story  of  Roland,  h.c,  j.t.b.,  Madame  Ragozin. 

Tales  from  Longfellow,  Gertrude  R.  Schottenfels. 

The  Three  Golden  Apples  (from  The  Wonder  Book),  Na- 
thaniel Hawthorne. 

Tilly's  Christmas  (from  Aunt  Jo's  Scrap  Bag),  Louisa  M. 
Alcott. 

Tom  and  the  Lobster  (from  The  Water  Babies),  Charles 
Kingsley. 

The  White  Seal  (from  Jungle  Book  I),  Rudyard  Kipling. 

Poetry 

An  Apple  Orchard  in  the  Spring,  g.n.,  B.R.-rv.,  William 

Martin. 
The  Barefoot  Boy,  P.G.-rv.,  L.C.,  John  G.  Whittier. 
The  Battle  of  Blenheim,  p.c.l.,  p.g.-ii.,  Robert  Southey. 
Bicycling  Song,  g.n.,  Henry  C.  Beeching. 
The  Blind  Men  and  the  Elephant,  l.r.-v.,  p.c.l.,  John  G. 

Saxe. 
Blow,  Blow,  Thou  Winter  Wind  (from  As  You  Like  It), 

William  Shakespeare. 


FIFTH  GRADE  103 

The   Brook   Song    (from   Rhymes   of  Childhood),  g.p.-iv., 

b.r.-iv.,  James  Whitcomb  Riley. 
The  Corn-Song,  John  G.  Whittier. 
The  Day  Is  Done,  p.G.-n.,  g.p.-v.,  Henry  W.  Longfellow. 
The  Deacon's  Masterpiece,  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes. 
Down  to  Sleep,  g.p.-v.,  Helen  Hunt  Jackson. 
A  Farewell,  p.c.l.,  l.s.-i.,  Charles  Kingsley. 
God  Rest  Ye,  Merry  Gentlemen,  g.n.,  Dinah   Maria  Mu- 

lock. 
Going  a-Nutting,  g.n.,  Edmund  Clarence  Stedman. 
The  Heritage,  p.G.-n.,  l.r.-iv.,  James  Russell  Lowell. 
The  Hunter's  Song,  g.n.,  Bryan  Waller  Proctor. 
Hunting  Song,  l.c.,  Samuel  Taylor  Coleridge. 
The  Inchcape  Rock,  p.c.l.,  l.s.-ii.,  Robert  Southey. 
The  Ivy  Green,  g.n.,  p.c.l.,  Charles  Dickens. 
John  Gilpin,  p.c.l.,  William  Cowper. 
The  King  of  Denmark's  Ride,  g.n.,  l.c,  Caroline  E.  Norton. 
Knee-Deep  in  June,  James  Whitcomb  Riley. 
The  Landing  of  the  Pilgrims,  g.n.,  g.p.-v.,  Felicia  Hemans. 
Lochinvar,  p.e.c.k.,  g.n.,  l.c,  Walter  Scott. 
Meg  Merrilies,  p.p.,  l.c,  John  Keats. 
My  Heart's  in  the  Highlands,  g.n.,  l.s.-i.,  Robert  Burns. 
Paul  Revere's  Ride,  g.p.-v.,  Henry  W.  Longfellow. 
The  Planting  of  the  Apple  Tree,  g.n.,  p.G.-n.,  William  Cul- 

len  Bryant. 
The  Priest  and  the  Mulberry  Tree,  g.n.,  p.c.l.,  Thomas 

Love  Peacock. 
Robin  Hood,  L.c,  John  Keats. 
The  Sea,  p.g.-ii.,  g.n.,  Bryan  Waller  Proctor. 
Skating  (from  The  Prelude),  g.n.,  William  Wordsworth. 
A.  Sudden  Shower  (from  Rhymes  of  Childhood),  p.r.,  G.P.-rv., 

James  Whitcomb  Riley. 


104      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

The  Summer  Shower,  l.s.-h.,  c.l.r.-v.,  Thomas  Buchanan 

Read. 
Sweet  Peas,  g.p.-iv.,  g.n.,  John  Keats. 
Those  Evening  Bells,  p.c.l.,  g.p.-v.,  Thomas  Moore. 
The  Tiger,  g.p.-vl,  l.s.-i.,  William  Blake. 
To-day,  l.s.-i.,  g.p.-v.,  Thomas  Carlyle. 
Under  the  Greenwood  Tree  (from  As  You  Like  It),  g.n., 

l.s.-i.,  William  Shakespeare. 
The  Violet,  n.v.,  Bryan  Waller  Proctor. 
Waken,  Lords  and  Ladies  Gay  (from  the  Lady  of  the  Lake) , 

L.c,  Walter  Scott. 
The  Windy  Night,  G.N.,  Thomas  Buchanan  Read. 
Woodman,  Spare  That  Tree,  P.S.,  g.p.-v.,  George  P.  Norris. 
The  Year's  at  the  Spring  (from  Pippa  Passes),   g.p.-v. 

L.C,  Robert  Browning. 
Yussouf,  James  Russell  Lowell. 


THE  SIXTH  GRADE 
COMPOSITION 

The  suggestions  for  the  fourth  and  fifth  grades 
apply  to  the  sixth.  All  the  kinds  of  work  there 
indicated  should  be  continued.  But  there  should 
be  an  appreciable  advance  in  maturity  of  subject, 
range  of  ideas,  and  handling  of  technique. 

i.  Oral  composition. — Topical  recitation  and 
report  will  afford  varied  opportunity  for  growth  in 
speaking  clearly,  coherently,  and  to  the  subject. 
The  pupil  should  be  able  to  make  and  use  an  outline 
composed  of  the  main  heads  of  his  talk.  The  sub- 
ject-matter should  include  not  only  bodies  of  facts 
gained  from  observation  and  reading,  but  also 
explanation  of  games  and  processes,  defense  of 
opinions,  word-pictures,  incidents,  stories,  sum- 
maries, etc.  The  speaker  should  face  the  class. 
They,  in  turn,  should  be  guided  in  making  definite, 
systematic,  and  kindly  suggestions  on  both  the 
matter  and  the  method  of  the  discourse,  and  in 
discovering  the  secret  of  effectiveness. 

2.  Written  composition. — Writing^lhould  freely 

and  easily  interchange  with  the  speaking  outlined 

above  and  should  frequently  follow  it,  especially  in 

case  the  subject  is  not  already  familiar  and  welJ 

i°5 


106      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

in  hand.  A  wide  range  of  interests  should  be 
involved,  and  the  conditions  under  which  the  writ- 
ing proceeds  should  be  wisely  varied.  Selection 
and  arrangement  of  material  should  be  learned,  in 
part,  from  the  study  of  good  examples.  Some  of 
these  should  be  outlined  and  summarized.  Pupils 
should  be  able  to  tell  in  one  sentence  what  a  para- 
graph or  a  whole  composition  is  about.  Topical 
criticism  should  be  practiced,  both  by  the  indi- 
vidual and  by  the  class.  Occasionally  papers 
should  be  returned  for  correction  or  revision  after 
several  days  have  elapsed.  The  standard  symbols 
should  be  used.  Class  choice,  opportunity  to 
publish,  actual  correspondence,  dramatization  for 
an  entertainment,  actual  biography,  and  keeping 
a  diary  are  among  the  means  of  providing  strong 
motives. 

3.  Technical  work. — The  knowledge  of  punctua- 
tion, of  the  use  of  capitals,  of  grammatical  forms, 
of  abbreviations,  and  of  the  conventional  arrange- 
ment of  the  parts  of  letters  and  manuscripts  which 
the  work  of  previous  years  has  required  should  be 
gathered  up,  enforced,  and  extended  so  as  to  keep 
pace  with  the  maturing  efforts  of  the  pupils.  Exer- 
cises in  examining  the  pages  of  books  and  magazines 
and  in  dictation  should  be  arranged,  when  necessary 
to  fix  certain   facts.     Pupils   should  be  able  to 


SIXTH  GRADE  107 

understand  and  apply  criticisms  made  in  terms  of 
grammar,  and  they  should  learn  how  to  transform, 
combine,  condense,  and  otherwise  vary  their  sen- 
tences so  as  to  say  more  exactly  or  more  pleasantly 
what  they  have  to  say. 

WORD-STUDY 

Make  sure  that  all  the  pupils  can  use  the  dic- 
tionary profitably.  They  should  be  able  to  in- 
dicate pronunciation  by  means  of  diacritics  and 
to  distinguish  synonyms.  To  the  various  word 
exercises  already  indicated  should  be  added  the 
grouping  of  words  having  the  same  prefix  or  other 
common  element,  in  order  to  secure  a  useful  key 
to  meanings  and  also  to  make  a  beginning  in  the 
study  of  word-formation.  A  lively  interest  in 
words  as  living  things  will  go  far  to  improve  both 
spelling  and  usage. 

LITERATURE 

Appreciative  oral  reading,  reading  by  the  teacher, 
and  learning  by  heart  should  continue.  Rapid 
handling  to  enable  a  grasp  of  the  meaning  and 
structure  of  the  whole  should  generally  precede 
close  study.  Directive  questions  upon  the  various 
literary  interests  should  be  carefully  prepared  and 
assigned,  so  as  to  insure  definite,  purposeful  work. 


108      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

Reading  or  recitation  should  close  the  studies,  in 
order  that  the  spirit  of  the  piece  as  an  imaginative 
unit  may  be  duly  impressed. 

The  sixth-grade  class  has  read  sufficiently  in 
certain  authors,  notably  Longfellow,  to  make  it 
desirable  to  dwell  somewhat  upon  his  life  and  work 
as  a  whole.  The  pupils  should  be  led  also  to 
associate  pieces  from  various  authors  which  are 
similar  in  subject  or  in  form.  The  aim  should  be 
to  organize  the  child's  literary  knowledge  and  make 
it  readily  serviceable. 

The  following  are  named  as  representative  class 
studies:  (i)  Heidi,  from  the  German  of  Frau 
Johanna  Spyri,  by  Helen  B.  Dole;  the  story  of  a 
little  Swiss  girl.  (2)  The  Story  of  the  Iliad,  by 
Alfred  J.  Church;  Baldwin's  The  Golden  Age, 
Jebb's  Homer,  Seymour's  Greek  Life  in  the  Homeric 
Age,  a  historical  atlas,  and  one  or  more  standard 
translations  should  be  on  the  desk.  (3)  Norse 
Stories,  by  Hamilton  Wright  Mabie.  Kearey's 
Heroes  of  Asgard,  Guerber's  Myths  of  Northern 
Lands,  and  Anderson's  Norse  Mythology  are  some 
of  the  best  references.  (4)  Lobo,  Rag,  and  Vixen, 
by  Ernest  Thomson-Seton.  (5)  Tales  of  a  Wayside 
Inn,  by  Henry  W.  Longfellow.  (6)  Poetry  Reader, 
No.  6,  by  Katherine  D.  Blake  and  Georgia  Alex- 
ander.    (7)  A  Christmas  Carol  (shortened  version), 


SIXTH  GRADE  109 

by  Charles  Dickens.     (8)  A  Book  of  Heroic  Ballads, 
by  Mary  Tileston. 

Prose 
For  explanation  of  the  purpose  of  the  lists  and  the  abbrevia- 
tions see  Fifth  Grade. 

Among  the  Meadow  People,  Clara  Pierson. 
An  Army  of  Two  (from  Horse  Shoe  Robinson),  G.c.-v.,  John 

P.  Kennedy. 
The  Cid  (selections),  c.H.-rv.,  Robert  Sou  they. 
Cuore    (an   Italian    school    boy's   journal),  Edmondo    de 

Amicis. 
Don  Fulano  (from  John  Brent),  L.L.-rv.,  Theodore  Winthrop. 
Don  Quixote  (selected  adventures),  Miguel  de  Cervantes. 
The  Fall  of  the  Leaf  (from  Our  Village),  g.l.r.-iv.,  M.  R. 

Mitford. 
Football  at  Rugby  (from  Tom  Brown's  School  Days),  Thomas 

Hughes. 
The  Four  MacNicols,  g.l.r.-v.,  William  Black. 
How  They  Besieged  a  Town  (from  The  Cloister  and  the 

Hearth),  s.r.g.-vl,  Charles  Reade. 
John    Ridd's    Adventure    (from    Lorna    Boone),    c.L.-iv., 

Richard  Blackmore. 
A  Little  Brother  to  the  Bear,  William  J.  Long. 
Mahala  Joe  (from  The  Basket  Woman),  C.H.,  Mary  Austin. 
Monarch,  the  Great  Bear,  Ernest  Thomson-Seton. 
Moses  Goes  to  the  Fair  (from  the  Vicar  of  Wakefield), 

g.l.r.-vi.,  Oliver  Goldsmith. 
The  Peterkins  Are  Obliged  to  Move,  C.H.,  Lucretia  P.  Hale. 
Raleigh's  Cloak  (from  Kenilworth) ,  Walter  Scott. 
Rolf's   Escape  (from  Feats  of  the  Fjord),   l.l.-vi.,  Harriet 

Martineau. 


HO      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

The  Shipwreck  (from  David  Copperfield),  l.r.-vt.,  Charles 

Dickens. 
Spring  in  Kentucky  (from  A  Kentucky  Cardinal),  Cyr-vi., 

James  Lane  Allen. 
The  Stagecoach  (from  Tom  Brown'' s  School  Days),  L.r.-vi., 

Thomas  Hughes. 
The   Story   of   the   Beaver,    G.c.-v.,    William    Davenport 

Hulbert. 
The  Sugar  Camp    (from  Being  a  Boy),    Cyr-vi.,    Charles 

Dudley  Warner. 
The  Volsunga  Saga,  William  Morris. 
A  Voyage  to  Lilliput,  Jonathan  Swift. 
Ways  of  Wood  Folk,  William  J.  Long. 

Poetry 

The  Boy  and  the  Angel,  l.s.-il,  Robert  Browning. 
Breathes  There  the  Man,  g.n.,  g.p.-vl,  Walter  Scott. 
The  Bugle  Song,  g.p.-vi.,  p.g.-ii.,  Alfred  Tennyson. 
The  Builders,  G.p.-vi.,  Henry  W.  Longfellow. 
The  Burial  of  Moses,  l.r.-v.,  g.n.,  Cecil  Frances  Alexander. 
Christmas  (from  Marmion,    introduction    to    canto    vi), 

Walter  Scott. 
Columbus,  G.c.-v.,  g.n.,  Joaquin  Miller. 
Consider,  l.s.-i.,  Christina  Rossetti. 
Corinna's  Going  a-Maying,  g.n,,  Robert  Herrick. 
The  Daffodils,  l.s.-il,  g.n.,  William  Wordsworth. 
A  Day  of  Sunshine,  Henry  W.  Longfellow. 
The    Flag    Goes    By,     g.n.,    p.g.-ii.,    Henry    Holcombe 

Bennett. 
For  A'  That,  and  A'  That,  l.s.-ii.,  g.p.-vl,  Robert  Burns. 
Green  River,  William  Cullen  Bryant. 


SIXTH  GRADE  in 

Hark!  Hark!  The  Lark  (from  Cymbeline),  g.p.-iv.,  William 

Shakespeare. 
Hohenlinden,  L.s.-n.,  p.g.-il,  Thomas  Campbell. 
Home  They  Brought  Her  Warrior  Dead  (from  the  Princess), 

L.s.-n.,  Alfred  Tennyson. 
Horatius  (from  Lays  of  Ancient  Rome),  Thomas  Babington 

Macaulay. 
The  Housekeeper,  L.c.,  g.p.-v.,  Charles  Lamb. 
How  They  Brought  the  Good  News,  p.c.l.,  L.s.-n.,  Robert 

Browning. 
The  Huskers  (from  Songs  of  Labor) ,  John  G.  Whittier. 
An  Incident  of  the  French  Camp,  p.c.l.,  l.c,  Robert  Brown- 
ing. 
King  Robert  of  Sicily,  Henry  W.  Longfellow. 
Lord  Ullin's  Daughter,  L.s.-n.,  Thomas  Campbell. 
The  Leap  of  Roushan  Beg,  Henry  W.  Longfellow. 
The  Legend  Beautiful,  Henry  W.  Longfellow. 
Minnows,  g.n.,  John  Keats. 
Nathan  Hale,  c.l.r.-l,  Francis  M.  Finch. 
Night  Quarters,  g.n.,  Henry  Howard  Brownell. 
Nuremberg,  Henry  W.  Longfellow. 
Old  Ironsides,  g.p.-vi.,  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes. 
On  the  Grasshopper  and  the  Cricket,  g.n.,  L.s.-n.,  John 

Keats. 
On  the  Grasshopper  and  the  Cricket,  g.n.,  l.s.-ii.,  Leigh 

Hunt. 
Pioneers,  s.b.r.-v.,  Walt  Whitman. 
The  Poet  and  the  Children,  John  G.  Whittier. 
The  Sailor's  Wife,  L.s.-n.,  William  J.  Mickle. 
Sandalphon,  Henry  W.  Longfellow. 
Santa  Filomena,  Henry  W.  Longfellow. 
Scythe  Song,  g.n.,  b.r.-iv.,  p.g.-h.,  Andrew  Lang. 


H2      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

The  Shepherd  of  King  Admetus,  James  Russell  Lowell. 

The  Skeleton  in  Armor,  Henry  W.  Longfellow. 

Song  of  Marion's  Men,  L.s.-n.,  g.p.-vi.,  William  Cullen 

Bryant. 
The  Stars,  L.s.-n.,  Bryan  Waller  Proctor. 
Ye  Mariners  of  England,  l.s.-il,  Thomas  Campbell. 


THE  SEVENTH  GRADE 
COMPOSITION 

The  various  activities  suggested  for  the  fourth, 
fifth,  and  sixth  grades  should  be  carried  forward. 
The  advance  should  appear,  not  only  in  scope  of 
ideas,  increased  vocabulary,  and  more  perfect 
technique,  but  also  in  a  more  analytic  attitude. 
The  fundamental  laws  of  grammar  and  composi- 
tion should  be  clearly  and  simply  presented,  so 
as  to  enable  the  pupils  to  apply  them  in  a  practical 
way,  both  in  self-criticism  and  in  class  exercises. 
The  pupils  hould  also  be  able  to  use  books  of 
reference,  to  gather  material,  and,  in  general,  to 
rely  upon  themselves. 

i.  Oral  composition. — The  oral  exercises  should 
be  as  carefully  planned  and  directed  as  the  written. 
Extend  the  use  of  the  topical  outline.  Aim  to  cul- 
tivate an  ear  for  sentence  euphony.  Errors  should 
often  be  corrected  by  reference  to  the  principle 
or  standard  of  use  involved.  Oral  reports  of  home- 
reading,  occasional  hours  of  recitation  or  story- 
telling, and  organized  discussions  of  current  events 
may  be  very  profitable.  Every  pupil  in  the  class 
should  be  able  to  speak  clearly  and  connectedlyupon 
any  topic  concerning  which  he  has  information. 
113 


H4      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

2.  Written  composition. — Definite  instruction  in 
the  selection  and  organization  of  material  and  in 
methods  of  treatment  to  secure  interest  should  be 
given.  One  effective  means  is  the  analysis  of 
kindred  examples.  Such  principles  as  unity, 
sequence,  beginning,  ending,  development  of  the 
paragraph,  and  choice  of  title  should  be  taught  and 
applied.  With  the  outline  may  be  coupled  the 
summary  and  with  the  oral  report,  the  written 
review  or  character  sketch.  Stories  should  be 
criticized  as  to  interest,  climax,  dialogue,  and  set- 
ting; descriptions,  as  to  vividness  and  point  of 
view;  expositions,  as  to  plan,  paragraphing,  clear- 
ness, and  accuracy.  The  pupils  should  be  familiar 
with  the  standard  symbols  used  in  correction  and 
should,  as  far  as  possible,  find  their  own  errors. 
There  should  be  practice  in  impromptu  composi- 
tion, occasionally  with  time  limit,  and  in  condens- 
ing several  paragraphs  into  one. 

3.  Technical  work. — The  reasons  for  adhering  to 
the  standard  usage  in  matters  of  form  should  be 
given.  Something  of  the  logic  of  punctuation 
should  be  discovered.  There  will  be  need  of  cer- 
tain uses  of  the  colon,  the  semicolon,  and  the  dash. 
Notes  of  invitation  and  reply  should  be  taught. 

Various  topics  in  grammar  will  require  some- 
what extended  treatment,  but  grammar  and  com- 


SEVENTH  GRADE  115 

position  should  constitute  a  single  course.  The 
pupils  should  know  with  assurance  when  they 
have  a  sentence,  they  should  be  able  to  distinguish 
the  larger  elements  and  their  functions,  and  they 
should  be  able  to  transform,  combine,  condense,  or 
expand  for  euphony,  clearness,  or  exactness. 
Special  attention  should  be  given  to  word-order 
and  to  connectives. 

WORD-STUDY 

The  pupils  should  be  taught  to  make  sure  of  the 
spelling  and  pronunciation  of  new  words.  The 
word-lessons  should  be  planned,  in  part,  so  as  to 
exemplify  certain  facts  and  principles  or  to  correct 
common  errors.  All  forms  of  memory  should  be 
employed,  but  the  writing  of  words  in  context 
should  be  regarded  as  the  final  test.  The  study 
of  word-composition  should  continue  as  in  the  sixth 
grade. 

LITERATURE 

Attention  should  be  directed  to  the  artistic 
purpose  and  method  as  well  as  to  the  thought. 
The  full  meaning  and  pleasure  of  a  book  can  be 
conveyed  only  to  the  reader  who  observes  and 
appreciates  the  artistic  elements  and  devices  which 
have  been  employed.     The  way  of  approach  should 


n6      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

be,  as  hitherto,  through  setting  and  the  larger 
whole  to  relation  of  parts  and  beauty  of  details. 
Directive  questions,  varied  expressional  activities, 
illustrative  materials,  biography,  and  comparative 
citation  should  combine  to  render  the  experience 
notable  and  educative.  It  would  be  appropriate 
to  dwell  somewhat  upon  the  lives  and  works  of 
Irving  and  Whittier. 

The  following  are  suggested  as  representative 
class  studies:  (i)  Knickerbocker  Stories  from  Irving, 
edited  by  Edward  Everett  Hale,  Jr.  This  is  No. 
23  of  the  Standard  Literature  Series.  It  contains 
"Rip  Van  Winkle,"  "The  Legend  of  Sleepy 
Hollow,"  and  other  Dutch-American  sketches.  (2) 
King  Arthur  Stories  from  Malory,  by  Lillian  O. 
Stevens  and  Edward  Frank  Allen.  The  version 
by  Sidney  Lanier  and  that  by  Dr.  Edward  Brooks 
are  also  suitable.  The  class  should  have  access 
to  Malory's  Morte  Arthure,  Pyle's  Men  of  Iron, 
Gautier's  Chivalry,  and  a  collection  of  pictures. 
Certain  passages  from  Tennyson's  Idylls  of  the  King 
and  the  tournament  chapter  in  Ivanhoe  will  be 
useful.  (3)  "Evangeline,"  by  Henry  W.  Long- 
fellow. (4)  "Snow-Bound"  and  other  poems,  by 
John  G.  Whittier.  (5)  Julius  Caesar,  by  William 
Shakespeare.  Emphasis  should  be  placed  upon 
the  character  of  Brutus.      (6)  A-Hunling  of  the 


SEVENTH  GRADE  117 

Deer  and  Other  Essays,  by  Charles  Dudley  Warner, 
No.  37  of  the  Riverside  Series.  (7)  Sharp  Eyes 
and  Other  Papers,  by  John  Burroughs,  No.  36 
of  the  Riverside  Series.  (8)  The  Cricket  on  the 
Hearth,  by  Charles  Dickens. 

Prose 

For  explanation  of  the  purpose  of  the  lists  and  the  abbrevia- 
tions see  the  Fifth  Grade. 
Afoot  and  Afloat  (from  Pepaclon  and  Wake- Robin),  R.S., 

John  Burroughs. 
Autobiography  (boyhood  and  youth),  Benjamin  Franklin. 
The  Blizzard  (from  Boy  Life  on  the  Prairie),  Hamlin  Garland. 
The  Coyote,  l.l.-vl,  Samuel  L.  Clemens. 
The  Death  of  Major  Andre  (from  Hugh  Wynne),  Dr.  S. 

Weir  Mitchell. 
An  Escape  from  the  Press  Gang  (from  the  Trumpet  Major) , 

G.L.R.-vn.,  Thomas  Hardy. 
Finding  a  Home  (from  Timothy's  Quest),  R.S.,  Kate  Douglas 

Wiggin. 
The  First  Christmas  Tree,  Henry  Van  Dyke. 
The  Gray  Champion  (from  Twice  Told  Tales),  Nathaniel 

Hawthorne. 
The   Great   Carbuncle   (from   Tales  of  the   White  Hills), 

Nathaniel  Hawthorne. 
The  Great  Stone  Face,  Nathaniel  Hawthorne. 
The  Life  of  Washington,  Horace  E.  Scudder. 
The  Lord  of  the  Air  (from  Kindred  of  the  Wild),  Charles  G.  D. 

Roberts. 
Mr.   Pickwick   Drives,   from   (Pickwick  Papers),   Charles 

Dickens. 


n8      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

Mr.  Winkle  Skates  (from  Pickwick  Papers),  Charles  Dickens. 

Moti  Guj — Mutineer  (from  Plain  Tales  from  the  Hills), 
Rudyard  Kipling. 

My  First  Voyage  (from  Two  Years  before  the  Mast),  Richard 
Henry  Dana,  Jr. 

Rab  and  His  Friends,  Dr.  John  Brown. 

Rob  Roy's  Country  (from  Rob  Roy),  Walter  Scott. 

The  Story  of  the  Odyssey,  Alfred  J.  Church. 

Tales  of  a  Grandfather,  Walter  Scott. 

The  Talisman,  Walter  Scott. 

The  Trail  of  the  Sandhill  Stag,  Ernest  Thomson-Seton. 

Vanity  Fair  (from  Pilgrim' 's  Progress),  John  Bunyan. 

A  Village  Wedding  in  Sweden  (from  Outre  Mer),  Henry  W. 
Longfellow. 

Wee  Willie  Winkie  (from  The  Phantom  Rickshaw),  Rud- 
yard Kipling. 

The  Whistle,  Benjamin  Franklin. 

VVhittier  Memoir,  r.s.,  Bliss  Perry. 

Winter  Winds  (from  Boy  Life  on  the  Prairie),  Hamlin  Gar- 
land. 

Poetry 

Abraham  Davenport,  John  G.  Whittier. 
Alice  Brand,  L.s.-n.,  p.g.-ii.,  Walter  Scott. 
Allan  A'Dale,  h.o.-iv.,  b.p.b.  (old  ballad). 
The  Angel  of  Patience,  John  G.  Whittier. 
April,  p.s.,  John  G.  Whittier. 

Ballad  of  the  Boat,  l.s.-iii.,  p.g.-ii.,  Richard  Garnett. 
The  Bells,  g.n.,  g.p.-ii.,  p.c.l.,  Edgar  Allen  Poe. 
The  Bells  of   Shandon,  Cyr-vn.,  H.o.-v.,  Francis  S.  Ma- 
honey. 


SEVENTH  GRADE  119 

Charge  of  the  Light  Brigade,  l.s.-ii.,  g.n.,  G.p.-vn.,  Alfred 
Tennyson. 

Christmas  Everywhere,  p.s.l.,  Phillips  Brooks. 

Christmas  Tide,  p.s.l.,  Richard  Burton. 

The  Comedy  of  Errors,  William  Shakespeare. 

Crossing  the  Plains,  G.N.,  Joaquin  Miller. 

Crown  Our  Washington,  s.s.l.-vii.,  Hezekiah  Butterworth. 

The  Culprit  Fay,  Joseph  Rodman  Drake. 

The  Eternal  Goodness,  John  G.  Whittier. 

The  Evening  Wind,  L.s.-n.,  William  Cullen  Bryant. 

Herve  Riel,  l.s.-iii.,  h.o.-v.,  Robert  Browning. 

Hesperus'  Song,  g.n.,  h.o.-v.,  Ben  Jonson. 

Home-Thoughts  from  Abroad,  g.n.,  l.s.-iii.,  G.p.-vn., 
Robert  Browning. 

The  Humble-Bee,  g.n.,  l.c,  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 

The  Hurricane,  L.s.-n.,  p.g.-h.,  William  Cullen  Bryant. 

Laus  Deo,  John  G.  Whittier. 

Miles  Standish,  Henry  W.  Longfellow. 

The  Noble  Nature,  l.s.-ii.,  g.p.-vii.,  Ben  Jonson. 

0  God,  Our  Help  in  Ages  Past,  L.s.-in.,  G.p.-vn.,  Isaac 
Watts. 

The  Old  Clock  on  the  Stairs,  p.G.-n.,  p.c.l.,  Henry  W.  Long- 
fellow. 

On  the  Death  of  Drake,  c.l.r.-i.,  Fitz-Greene  Halleck. 

The  Revenge,  l.s.-ii.,  h.o.-v.,  Alfred  Tennyson. 

Romance  of  the  Swan's  Nest,  g.n.,  l.s.-iu.,  p.g.-ii.,  Eliza- 
beth Barrett  Browning. 

The  Sabbath,  s.s.l.-vi.,  James  Grahame. 

Sir  Galahad,  L.s.-m.,  p.g.-ii.,  Alfred  Tennyson. 

Sir  Patrick  Spens,  g.n.,  H.o.-rv.  (old  ballad). 

The  Snow-Storm,  g.n.,  L.s.-m.,  p.g.-vl,  Ralph  Waldo 
Emerson. 


120      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

Soldier,  Rest!  G.N.,  G.P.-vn.,  Walter  Scott. 

The  Solitary  Reaper,  g.n.,  l.s.-ii.,  G.P.-vn.,  William  Words- 
worth. 

Sound  the  Loud  Timbrel,  l.s.-ii.,  Thomas  More. 

Stand  by  the  Flag,  l.c,  g.n.,  John  Nicholas  Wilder. 

Tacking  Ship  Off  Shore,  g.n.,  Walter  Mitchell. 

True  Knighthood  (from  Guinevere),  l.s.-iii.,  Alfred  Tenny- 
son. 

A  Vagabond  Song,  G.P.-vn.,  Bliss  Carman. 


THE  EIGHTH  GRADE 

COMPOSITION 

The  point  of  view  should  be  the  same  as  in  the 
preceding  grades.  The  emphasis  should  be  placed, 
as  in  the  seventh  grade,  upon  intelligent  self- 
direction  in  accordance  with  a  few  fundamental 
principles  of  expression.  Care  should  be  exercised 
to  secure  fresh  and  more  advanced  materials  and 
to  vary  the  conditions,  in  order  that  interest  may 
be  kept  up  and  that  genuine  power  and  versatility 
in  speaking  and  writing  may  be  developed.  Not 
fewer  than  two  or  three  lessons  each  week  should 
be  given.  Each  teacher  should  assure  herself  as 
to  what  ability  the  members  of  a  particular  class 
actually  possess  and  should  plan  the  year's  work 
with  a  view  to  rounding  out  and  completing  the 
training  which  the  course  as  a  whole  contemplates. 
In  doing  so,  the  practical  demands  of  life  in  a 
society  should  be  regarded  as  paramount  to  every 
other  consideration.  Occasional  oral  debates  and 
frequent  short  written  exercises  are  recommended. 
Certain  class  books,  intended  primarily  for  the 
high  school,  would  provide  useful  material  for  both 
teacher  and  pupils.  Such  are:  Lewis'  First 
Manual    of    Composition,    Baker    and    Abbott's 


122      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

English  Composition,  Thomas'  Composition  and 
Rhetoric,  Crandall's  First-Year  English  Book,  and 
Gardiner,  Kittredge,  and  Arnold's  Elements  oj 
English  Composition. 

GRAMMAR 

A  systematic  course  in  the  English  sentence, 
its  parts  and  elements,  the  functions  and  properties 
of  words,  should  occupy  from  two  to  four  recita- 
tions throughout  the  year.  The  aim  should  be  to 
secure  first-hand  observation,  discrimination,  ac- 
curate statement,  and  resulting  improvement  in 
study  and  expression.  Inductive  handling  of  cur- 
rent prose  and  of  the  compositions  of  the  pupils 
will  be  far  more  profitable  than  conning  a  book. 
The  pupils  had  better  compile  books  of  their  own, 
using  occasionally  a  good  modern  grammar  as  a 
reference.  The  work  should  be  constructive 
throughout,  and  the  connection  between  the  exer- 
cises in  grammar  and  the  practice  of  correctness  in 
speech  and  writing  should  be  definitely  and  effect- 
ively made.  The  studies  should  be  topical  and 
progressively  connected,  beginning  with  the  sen- 
tence as  a  whole.  The  important  facts  should  be 
grouped  repeatedly  from  new  points  of  view,  in 
order  that  they  may  be  seen,  not  merely  as  items, 
but  as  parts  of  an  organized  body  of  knowledge. 


EIGHTH  GRADE  123 

Above  all,  glibness  of  analysis  according  to  some 
formula  must  not  be  mistaken  for  thinking  or  actual 
perception  of  relations.  (See  the  section  on  Eng- 
lish Grammar  in  the  "Outline  of  Theory.")  At 
the  end  of  the  year,  the  pupils  should  be  able  to 
explain  in  standard  terminology  the  function  of 
each  part  or  element  of  any  sentence  (not  idiom) 
which  they  can  compose,  and  should  have  firmly 
established  the  habit  of  applying  the  standards  of 
usage  in  self-criticism. 

WORD-STUDY 

The  character  and  emphasis  of  the  work  should 
be  determined  as  in  the  case  of  composition.  In 
organizing  the  various  kinds  of  lessons  that  will  be 
required,  such  word  books  as  the  following  will  be 
of  assistance:  Frazier's  National  Speller,  Scheppe's 
Advanced  Word  Studies,  Daly's  Advanced  Rational 
Speller,  Webster's  New  Standard  Speller,  the  Bailey- 
Manley  Spelling-Book. 

LITERATURE 

The  kind  of  work  indicated  for  the  seventh  grade 
should  be  continued.  The  typical  interests  in  a 
variety  of  selections  of  suitable  maturity  should 
be  simply,  but  clearly  and  definitely,  presented. 
Generalizations  concerning  literary  method  should 


J24      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

f 

be  very  few,  but  the  pupils  should  be  able  to  read 
a  masterpiece  with  some  genuine  appreciation  of 
its  literary  "values."  One  excellent  gauge  of 
taste  and  ability  is  voluntary  reading.  With  this 
the  teacher  should  keep  in  sympathetic  touch,  and 
from  it  she  should  determine,  in  part,  what  the 
class  need  and  what  kind  of  good  reading  they  can 
most  easily  like.  Some  attention  should  be  de- 
voted to  the  lives  and  works  of  Walter  Scott, 
Charles  Dickens,  James  Russell  Lowell,  John 
Burroughs,  and  Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 

The  following  are  suggested  as  representative 
class  studies.  At  least  one  from  each  group  should 
be  selected,  usually  the  first,  (i)  Treasure  Island, 
by  Robert  Louis  Stevenson;  Ivanhoe,  by  Walter 
Scott;  David  Copper  field  (childhood  and  youth), 
by  Charles  Dickens.  (2)  The  Merchant  of  Venice, 
The  Tempest,  by  William  Shakespeare;  Rolfe's 
Shakespeare  the  Boy  and  Bennett's  Master  Skylark 
will  be  useful.  (3)  The  Lady  of  the  Lake,  The 
Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel,  by  Walter  Scott;  Sohrab 
and  Rustum,  by  Matthew  Arnold;  Story  of  Chaucer's 
Canterbury  Pilgrims,  by  Katherine  Lee  Bates. 
(4)  A  Moosehead  Journal  and  Other  Papers  (No. 
169  of  the  Riverside  Series),  by  James  Russell 
Lowell;  A  Bunch  of  Herbs  and  Other  Papers  (No. 
92  of  the  Riverside  Series),  by  John  Burroughs. 


EIGHTH  GRADE  125 

(5)  Stories  and  Poems  of  Poe,  edited  by  Edward 
Everett  Hale,  Jr.,  in  the  Standard  Literature 
Series,  or  a  suitable  collection  from  some  other 
American  writer;  The  Cotter's  Saturday  Night  and 
Other  Poems,  by  Robert  Burns  (No.  77  of  the 
Riverside  Series);  The  Prisoner  of  Chilton  and 
Other  Poems,  by  Lord  Byron  (No.  128  of  the 
Riverside  Series).  (6)  An  Introduction  to  the  Study 
of  Literature,  by  Edwin  Lewis;  Choice  Literature  for 
Grammar  Grades,  Book  II,  by  Sherman  Wil- 
liams; Heart  of  Oak  Books,  Vol.  V,  by  Charles 
Eliot  Norton;  Ballads  and  Ballad  Poetry,  by 
Edward  Everett  Hale,  Jr. ;  The  Odyssey  in  English 
Prose  (Riverside  Series),  by  George  H.  Palmer — 
for  classes  that  have  not  read  Church's  version  in 
the  seventh  grade. 

Prose 

For  the  purpose  of  this  supplemental  list  and  an  explanation 
of  the  abbreviations,  see  the  Fifth  and  earlier  grades. 

Baa,  Baa,  Black  Sheep   (from   The  Phantom  Rickshaw), 

Rudyard  Kipling. 
Bob:   The  Story  of  Our  Mocking  Bird  (from  the  Lanier 

Book),  Sidney  Lanier. 
Camping  Out  (from  the  Van  Dyke  Book),  Henry  Van  Dyke. 
The  Christmas  Angel  (from  the  Spirit  of  Christmas) ,  Henry 

Van  Dyke. 
Eli  (from  Five  Hundred  Dollars),  Heman  White  Chaplin. 


126      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

Farmer  Finch  (from  the  White  Heron),  C.H.,  Sarah  Orne 

Jewett. 
The  Flag-Raising,  r.s.,  Kate  Douglas  Wiggin. 
The  Forest,  Stewart  Edward  White. 
The  Gettysburg  Address,  Abraham  Lincoln. 
Jean-ah-Poquelin  (from  Old  Creole  Days),  George  W.  Cable. 
Jean  Valjean  and  the  Bishop  (from  Les  miser ables) ,  Victor 

Hugo. 
The  Last  of  the  Mohicans,  James  Fenimore  Cooper. 
Lincoln  and  the  Sleeping  Sentinel,  L.  S.  Chittenden. 
Lorna  Doone,  Richard  Blackmore. 
The  Man  without  a  Country,  Edward  Everett  Hale. 
The  Master  of  the  Golden  Pool  (from  the  Watchers  of  the 

Trails),  Charles  G.  D.  Roberts. 
Micah  Clarke,  Conan  Doyle. 
Our  New  Neighbors  at  Ponkapog  (from  Marjorie  Daw  and 

Other  Stories),  Thomas  Bailey  Aldrich. 
The  Perfect  Tribute  [to  Lincoln],  Mary  Raymond  Andrews. 
The  Shepherd's  Trophy  (from  Bob,  Son  of  Battle),  Alfred 

Ollivant. 
The  Ship  That  Found  Herself  (from  the  Day's  Work), 

Rudyard  Kipling. 
Stories  of  the  Great  West,  Theodore  Roosevelt. 
The  Story  of  the  Other  Wise  Man,  Henry  Van  Dyke. 
A  Watcher  in  the  Woods,  Dallas  Lore  Sharp. 
Will  o'  the  Mill,  Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 

Poetry 

Abraham  Lincoln,  g.n.,  Richard  Henry  Stoddard. 

The  Blue  and  the  Gray,  p.c.l.,  s.s.L.-vn.,  Francis  M.  Finch. 

Cavalier  Tunes,  l.c,  L.s.-ni.,  Robert  Browning. 

The  Cavalry  Charge,  p.g.-il,  Edmund  Clarence  Stedman. 


EIGHTH  GRADE  127 

The  Chambered  Nautilus,  P.G.-n.,  p.c.l.,  Oliver  Wendell 

Holmes. 
The  Concord  Hymn,  g.n.,  l.s.-ii.,  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 
The  Courtin',  H.o.-v.,  James  Russell  Lowell. 
Each  and  All,  g.n.,  L.s.-m.,  p.c.l.,  Ralph  WTaldo  Emerson. 
The  Eagle,  Alfred  Tennyson. 
Elegy  Written  in  a  Country  Churchyard,  L.s.-m.,  P.G.-n., 

Thomas  Gray. 
The  Finding  of  the  Lyre,  James  Russell  Lowell. 
Gareth  and  Lynette,  Alfred  Tennyson. 
Heartleap  Well,  William  Wordsworth. 
The  Lady  of  Shalott,  g.n.,  L.s.-m.,  Alfred  Tennyson. 
The  Last  Leaf,  g.n.,  p.G.-n.,  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes. 
Lead,  Kindly  Light,  p.c.l.,  John  Henry  Newman. 
Lincoln    {Commemoration   Ode,    sec.    VI),   James   Russell 

Lowell. 
A  Midsummer-Night's  Dream,  William  Shakespeare. 
The  Neckan,  L.s.-m.,  P.G.-n.,  Matthew  Arnold. 
Night  in  the  Desert,  g.p.-vl,  Robert  Southey. 
0  Captain,  My  Captain,  g.p.-vhi.,  h.o.-vi.,  Walt  Whitman. 
Old  Glory,  p.G.-n.,  G.N.,  James  Whitcomb  Riley. 
On  His  Blindness,  g.n.,  L.s.-m.,  John  Milton. 
On  May  Morning,  g.n.,  l.c,  p.s.,  John  Milton. 
On  the  Castle  of  Chillon,  L.s.-in.,  Lord  Byron. 
The  Patriot,  L.s.-m.,  Robert  Browning. 
Pheidippides,  g.p.-vii.,  Robert  Browning. 
The  Rhodora,  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 
Ring  Out,   Wild  Bells  (from  In  Memoriam,  Part   CYI), 

G.p.-n.,  Alfred  Tennyson. 
Say  Not,  the  Struggle  Naught  Availeth,  L.s.-in.,  G.p.-vm., 

Arthur  Hugh  Clough. 
Self-Dependence,  G.p.-vm,  h.o.-vi.,  Matthew  Arnold. 


128      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

The  Shell,  p.g.-h.,  h.o.-vi.,  Alfred  Tennyson. 

She  Walks  in  Beauty,  L.s.-m.,  h.o.-vi.,  Lord  Byron. 

The  Singing  Leaves,  James  Russell  Lowell. 

Song  of  the  Chattahoochie,  p.c.l.,  s.s.l.-viii.,  Sidney  Lanier. 

Stanzas  on  Freedom,  g.n.,  James  Russell  Lowell. 

The  Summer  Wind,  William  Cullen  Bryant. 

Thanatopsis,  p.g.-il,  s.s.l.-vil,  William  Cullen  Bryant. 

To  a  Mountain  Daisy,  p.s.,  l.s.-iii.,  Robert  Burns. 

To  a  Mouse,  L.s.-n.,  Robert  Burns. 

To  a  Skylark,  L.s.-n.,  P.G.-n.,  Percy  Bysshe  Shelley. 

To  a  Water  Fowl,  L.s.-n.,  William  Cullen  Bryant. 

Up-Hill,  Golden  Treasury-n.,  Christina  Rossetti. 

The  Vision  of  Sir  Launfal,  James  Russell  Lowell. 

The  Voyage  of  Maeldune,  Alfred  Tennyson. 

Wendell  Phillips,  L.s.-m.,  James  Russell  Lowell. 

The  White  Ship,  l.s.-ltl,  Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti. 


APPENDIX 


APPENDIX 
BOOKS  FOR  READING  TO  THE  PUPILS 

The  value  of  reading  to  children  is  well  known. 
Many  of  the  selections  named  in  the  graded  lists 
may  well  be  presented  in  this  way.  A  few  addi- 
tional books  are  named  below  which  are  worth  while 
but  which,  for  the  most  part,  are  not  suited  to  any 
other  treatment  at  the  age  at  which  children  will 
best  appreciate  them.  Several  will  require  a  good 
deal  of  editing.  No  formal  discussion  is  contem- 
plated. Only  occasional  use  is  intended,  and,  in 
some  cases,  only  a  few  selections  from  a  book  should 
be  used.  The  list  is  meant  to  be  representative, 
not  exhaustive.  The  volumes  can  be  obtained 
from  any  reliable  bookseller. 

For  the  Younger  Children 

Aldrich,  Thomas  Bailey:   The  Story  of  a  Cat  (transl.  from 

Bedolliere). 
Baldwin,  James:   The  Wonder  Book  of  Horses. 
Bannermann,  Mrs.  Helen:  Little  Black  Sambo. 
Bay,  J.  Christian:  Danish  Fairy  and  Folk  Tales. 
Bigham,  Madge  A.:  Fanciful  Flower  Tales. 
Carter,  M.  H. :  Stories  of  Brave  Dogs. 
C.  Collodi  (transl.  by  Walter  S.  Cramp):    Pinocchio,  the 

Story  of  a  Marionette. 
Crothers,  Samuel:  Miss  Muff  elf  s  Christmas  Party. 

131 


132      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

Dole,  Nathan  Haskell:   The  Russian  Fairy  Book. 

Hale,  Lucretia  P. :  The  Peterkin  Papers. 

Harris,  Joel  Chandler:   Uncle  Remus'  Stories. 

Kingsley,  Charles:   The  Water  Babies. 

Kipling,  Rudyard:  The  Jungle  Books;  Just-So  Stories. 

Laboulaye,  Edouard:    Fairy  Tales  of  All  Nations;    Last 

Fairy  Tales. 
Litsey,  Edwin  C. :  The  Race  of  the  Swift  (a  book  of  animals). 
Ortoli,  Frederic  (transl.  by  Joel  Chandler  Harris) :  Evening 

Tales. 
Paine,  Albert  Bigelow:   The  Hollow  Tree  and  Deep  Woods 

Book  (fanciful  in  treatment). 
Phelps- Ward,  Elizabeth  Stuart:   Loveliness  (a  dog  story). 
Pyrnelle,  Mrs.  L.  C:  Diddie,  Dumps,  and  Tot. 
Pyle,  Howard:    Pepper  and  Salt;    Twilight  Land;    The 

Wonder  Clock. 
Pyle,  Katherine:   When  the  Wind  Blows. 
Richards,  Laura  E.:   The  Pig  Brother  (moral  in  intention). 
Underhill,  Zoe  Dana:   The  Dwarf's  Tailor  and  Other  Fairy 

Tales. 
Wiggin,  Kate  Douglas,  and  Smith,  Nora  A.:    The  Fairy 

Ring;  The  Magic  Casements. 

For  the  Older  Children 

Addison,  Joseph :   The  Vision  of  Mirza. 
Alcott,  Louisa  M. :  Little  Men;  Little  Women. 
Aldrich,  Thomas  Bailey:  The  Story  of  a  Bad  Boy. 
Amicis,    Edmondo    de:     Cuore    (an    Italian    schoolboy's 

journal) . 
Ariosto's  Stories,  Retold  by  a  Lady. 
Barrie,  James  M.:  Little  White  Bird. 
Bull,  Jacob  B.:  Fritjof  Nansen. 


BOOKS  FOR  READING  133 

Bunyan,  John:  Pilgrim's  Progress. 

Chubb,    Percival    (editor):    Travels    at  Home,   by  Mark 

Twain. 
Church,  Alfred  J.:  Stories  of  the  Old  World. 
Daudet,  Alphonse:  La  Belle  Nivernaise. 
Diaz,  Abby  Morton:    The  William  Henry  Letters. 
Edgar,  Madalen:   Stories  from  Morris. 
Fouque,  Baron  La  Motte:  Sintram  and  His  Companions. 
Ewing,  Juliana  H.:  Jackanapes;   The  Story  of  a  Short  Life 
Field,  Eugene :  A  Little  Book  of  Profitable  Tales. 
Garland,  Hamlin:  Boy  Life  on  the  Prairie. 
Graham,  Kenneth:    Dream  Days;  The  Golden  Age. 
Greene,  Nimmo  F. :  With  Spurs  of  Gold  (stories  of  chivalry) . 
Henry-Pueffin,  M.  E. :  The  North  Star  (a  tale  of  Norway  iD 

the  tenth  century). 
Howells,  William  Dean:   A  Boy's  Town. 
Hutton,  Laurence :  A  Boy  I  Knew  and  Four  Dogs. 
Jenks,  Albert  E.:  Ba-Long-Long,  the  Igorrote  Boy. 
Keller,  Helen:   The  Story  of  My  Life. 
Kingsley,  Charles:   Greek  Heroes. 
Kipling,  Rudyard:  Drums  of  the  Fore  and  Aft;  Muhammad 

Din. 
Monroe,  Kirk:  Snow-Shoes  and  Sledges. 
Ollivant,  Alfred:  Bob,  Son  of  Battle. 
Raspe,  Rudolf  Eric:    Travels  of  Baron  Munchausen. 
Riis,  Jacob:   The  Making  of  an  American. 
Rives,  Hallie  E. :   Tales  from  Dickens. 
Roberts,  Charles  G.  D.:  Kindred  of  the  Wild. 
Roosevelt,  Theodore:  Stories  of  the  Great  West. 
Schottenfels,  Gertrude  R. :   Parzival  and  Other  Stories. 
Scott,  Walter:  Guy  Mannering;  Quentin  Durward. 
Stevenson,  Robert  Louis:   Letters  (selected). 


134      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

Stockton,  Frank:   The  Floating  Prince. 

Stories  of  the  Ancient  World,  from  St.  Nicholas. 

Sweetser,  Kate  Dickinson:   Ten  Boys  from  Dickens. 

Turner,  Francis,  and  Stoor,  Howes:   Tales  from  Chaucer. 

Twain,  Mark:   The  Prince  and  the  Pauper. 

Travels  at  Home  (edited  from  Mr.  Clemens'  books  by  Perci- 

val  Chubb). 
Washington,  Booker  T. :   Up  from  Slavery. 
Western  Frontier  Stories  from  St.  Nicholas. 
Williams,  Sherman:  Some  Successful  Americans.  .. 


VERSE  COLLECTIONS 

The  following  list  contains  the  titles  of  the  verse 
collections  referred  to  by  the  initials  in  the  outlines 
for  the  various  grades  and  several  in  addition. 
The  alphabetic  order  will  enable  easy  identifica- 
tion. The  volumes  most  useful  in  the  lower  grades 
are  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*),  those  most  useful 
in  the  higher  grades,  with  a  dagger  (f).  All  the 
volumes  are  compilations  except  those  by  Blake, 
Stevenson,  Rands,  Sherman,  and  Miss  Rossetti. 
The  school  readers  named  are,  of  course,  partly 
in  prose.  The  list  makes  no  pretense  to  be 
exhaustive;  the  attempt  is  merely  to  render  a 
body  of  suitable  material  accessible.  For  the 
principles  of  choice  see  the  section  on  Literature 
and  the  references  there  named. 

An  American  Anthology — A. A.     (a  general  collection  of 
American  poetry),  Edmund  Clarence  Stedman. 

A  Ballad  Book,  William  Allingham. 

Best  Nonsense  Verses — b.n.v.,  Josephine  Daskam  (Mrs. 
Bacon). 

The  Blodgelt  Readers,  Nos.  I-V — b.r.,  Andrew  D.  Blod- 
gett. 

The  Blue  Poetry  Book — b.p.b.,  Andrew  Lang. 
t^4  Book  of  Famous  Verse,  Agnes  Repplier. 

A  Book  of  Verse,  E.  V.  Lucas. 

i35 


136      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

The  Children's  Garland,  Coventry  Patmore. 
*Child  Life  in  Poetry — c.l.,  John  G.  Whittier. 
Child  Life  Readers,  Nos.  I-V — c.l.r.,  Etta  A.  and  Mary  F. 

Blaisdell. 
^4  Child's  Book  of  Poetry  (inexpensive),  Edna  Lee  Turpin. 
The  Child's  Calendar  Beautiful,  R.  Catherine  Beeson. 
*A  Child's  Garden  of  Verses — c.G.,  Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 
The  Children's  Hour,  Vols.  I-X  (a  lihrary,  partly  of  prose), 

Eva  March  Tappan. 
The  Children's  Treasury  of  Songs  and  Lyrics,  Francis  T. 

Palgrave. 
The  Children's  Treasure  Trove  of  Pearls,  Mary  E.  Tileston. 
Choice  Literature,  Primary  I  and  II,  Intermediate  I  and 

II,  Grammar  I  and  II — C.L.,  Sherman  Williams. 
Days  and  Deeds  (verse) ,  Burton  E.  and  Elizabeth  B.  Steven- 

son. 
^Golden  Numbers — g.n.  (superior),  Kate  Douglas  Wiggin 

and  Nora  A.  Smith. 
Graded  Classics,  Nos.  I-V — G.C.,  F.  F.  Norvell  and  M.  W. 

Haliburton. 
Graded  Literature  Readers,  Nos.  I- VIII — G.L.,  Harry  Pratt 

Judson  and  Ida  C.  Bender. 
Graded   Memory   Selections — g.m.s.    (inexpensive,    but   a 

poor  selection  and  not  well  graded),  S.  D.  Waterman 

and  others. 
*\Graded  Poetry  Readers,  Nos.   I-VIII — g.p.   (very  good 

material  at  a  low  price) ,  Katherine  Blake  and  Georgia 

Alexander. 
Heart    of   Oak   Books,    Nos.    I- VI — H.o.,    Charles   Eliot 

Norton. 
Heroic  Ballads  (mostly  British),  D.  H.  Montgomery. 
^   Junior  School  Poetry  Book,  W.  Peterson. 


\ 


VERSE  COLLECTIONS  137 

*\The  Land  of  Song,  Nos.  I— III — l.s.  (excellent),  Katherine 

Shute  and  Larkin  Dunton. 
The   Language   Readers,   Nos.    I-VI — l.r.,    Franklin   T. 

Baker  and  George  R.  Carpenter. 
*Lillipul  Lyrics — l.l.,  William  Brighty  Rands. 
\The  Listening  Child — l.c.  (good),  Lucy  Thacher. 
Little  Folk  Lyrics — l.f.l.,  Frank  Dempster  Sherman. 
Lyra  Heroica  (British),  W.  E.  Henley. 
Nature  in  Verse — N.v.  (much  is  mediocre),  Mary  I.  Love- 
joy. 
A  Nursery  RJiyme  Book,  Andrew  Lang. 
^Nursery  Rhymes — n.r.  (the  best  collection  at  a  low  price), 

Charles  Welsh. 
Open  Sesame,  Nos.  I— III  (only  fair),  B.  W.  Bellamy  and 

M.  W.  Goodwin. 
Pinafore  Palace,  Kate  Douglas  Wiggin  and  Nora  A.  Smith. 
¥\Poems  by  Grades,  Nos.  I  and  II — p.g.  (excellent),  Ada 

Van  Stone  Harris  and  Charles  B.  Gilbert. 
Poems  Children  Love — p.c.l.  (contains  many  old  favorites), 

Penrhyn  W.  Coussins. 
Poems  Every  Child  Should  Know — p.e.c.k.  (the  author's 

comments  are  gratuitous  and  often  fantastic),  Mary  E. 

Burt. 
Poems  for  the  Study  of  Language — p.s.l.  (the  Illinois  selec- 
tion of  a  year  or  two  ago) ,  Chestine  Gowdy. 
"—  Poetry  for  Home  and  School  (good,  but  out  of  print),  A.  C. 

Bracket  and  I.  M.  Eliot. 
Poetry  of  the  Seasons — p.s.  (much  is  mediocre),  Mary  I. 

Lovejoy. 
*The  Posy  Ring — p.r.  (superior),  Kate  Douglas  Wiggin  and 

Nora  A.  Smith. 
A  School  Speaker  and  Reader,  William  DeWitt  Hyde. 


138      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

The  Senior  School  Poetry  Book,  W.  Peterson. 

The  Silver  Burdett  Readers,  Nos.  I-V — s.b.r.,  Ella  M. 

Powers  and  Thomas  M.  Balliett. 
Sing-Song — s.s.,  Christina  Rossetti. 
Songs  of  Innocence,  William  Blake. 
\Songs  of  Nature,  John  Burroughs. 
Songs  of  the  Tree  Top  and  Meadow,  Lida  McMurry  and 

Mary  Hall  Husted. 
Slepping-Slones  to  Literature,  Nos.  I- VIII,  Sarah  Louise 

Arnold  and  Charles  B.  Gilbert. 
A  Treasury  of  Verse  for  Children,  Edgar. 


PROSE  COLLECTIONS 

Arabian  Nights  Tales — A.N.T.,  Andrew  Lang. 

The  Basket  Woman  (Indian  stories),  Mary  Austin. 

Baumbach's  Tales — b.t.,  Rudolph  Baumbach. 

The  Birchtree  Fairy  Book — b.f.b.,  Clifton  Johnson. 

The  Blodgett  Readers,  Nos.  I-V — b.r.,  Andrew  D.  Blodgett. 

A  Book  of  Christmas,  Hamilton  W.  Mabie. 

A  Book  of  Legends — B.L.,  Horace  E.  Scudder. 

The  Book   of  Nature-Myths — b.n.m.    (Pourquoi   stories), 
Florence  Holbrook. 

The  Book  of  Saints  and  Friendly  Beasts — b.s.f.b.,  Abbie 
Farwell  Brown. 

Child-Life  Readers,  Nos.  I-V — c.l.r.,  Etta  A.  and  Mary  F. 
Blaisdell. 

TAe  Children's  Book,  Horace  E.  Scudder. 

*The  Children's  Hour,  Vols.  I-X — c.h.  (a  library  of  chil- 
dren's literature),  Eva  March  Tappan. 

Choice  Literature  for  Primary,  Intermediate,  and  Grammar 
Grades,  Nos.  I- VI,  Sherman  Williams. 

Classic  Myths  Retold,  Mary  Catherine  Judd. 

The  Cyr  Readers,  Nos.  I-VIII— Cyr,  Ellen  M.  Cyr. 

Dawes'  Bible  Stories — d.b.s.,  Sarah  E.  Dawes. 

Days  and  Deeds  (prose),  Burton  E.  and  Elizabeth  B. 
Stevenson. 

The  Elmtree  Fairy  Book,  Clifton  Johnson. 
*  English  Fairy  Tales — e.f.t.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 

The  Epic  of  Kings,  Helen  Zimmern. 

Ethics  for  Children,  Ella  Lyman  Cabot. 
*Fables  and  Folk  Stories — f.f.s.,  Horace  E.  Scudder. 
*Fables  of  Aesop — f.e.,  Joseph  Jacobs. 

i39 


140      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

Fairy  books  and  books  of  romance,  Andrew  Lang. 
*Fairy  Stories  and  Fables — F.S.F.,  James  Baldwin. 
Fairy  Tales — F.T.,  Marion  F.  Lansing. 
Fairy  Tales  from  the  Far  North,  P.  C.  Asbjornsen. 
Fanciful  Tales — f.t.,  Frank  Stockton. 
*Favorite  Greek  Myths — f.g.m.,  Lillian  Hyde. 
For  the  Children's  Hour,  Carolyn  S.  Bailey  and  Clara  M. 

Lewis. 
Gaelic  Folk  Tales,  Mary  Grant  O'Sheridan. 
Graded  Classics,  Nos.  I-V— G.c,  F.  T.  Norvell  and  M.  W. 

Haliburton. 
Graded  Literature  Readers,   Nos.   I-VIII — G.l.r.,   Harry 

Pratt  Judson  and  Ida  C.  Bender. 
Greek  Heroes — G.H.,  Charles  Kingsley. 
*Grimms'  Household  Tales — g.h.t.  (a  selection),  Horace  E. 

Scudder. 
Grimms'  Tales,  Vols.  I  and  II — g.t.,  Margaret  Hunt. 
Grimms'  Tales,  Lucy  Crane. 
*Hans  Andersen's  Stories — h.a.s.  (a  selection),  Horace  E. 

Scudder. 
Heart  of  Oak    Books,   Nos.    I-VI — h.o.,    Charles  Eliot 

Norton. 
Hellenic  Tales — h.t.,  Edmund  J.  Carpenter. 
*How  to  Tell  Stories  to  Children — H.s.c,  Sara  Cone  Bryant. 
Indian  [Hindoo]  Fairy  Tales,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
Indian  Fairy  Tales — i.f.t.,  Mary  H.  Wade. 
Indian  Myths,  Ellen  Emerson. 
In  Story  Land — I.S.L.,  Elizabeth  Harrison. 
Journeys  through  Bookland,  Vols.  I-X  (a  good  selection, 
with  notes  for  readers  and  for  teachers  and  parents), 
Charles  H.  Sylvester. 
*  Jungle  Books,  I  and  II — j.b.,  Rudyard  Kipling. 


PROSE  COLLECTIONS  141 

Language  Readers,  Nos.  I-VI— l.r.,  Franklin  T.  Baker 

and  George  R.  Carpenter. 
Last  Fairy  Tales,  Edouard  Laboulaye. 
Lights  to  Literature,  Nos.  I-VIII— l.l.,  Abbie  E.  Lane  and 

others. 
More  English  Fairy  Tales,  Joseph  Jacobs. 
New  World  Fairy  Book,  Howard  A.  Kennedy. 
*The  Oaktree  Fairy  Book — o.f.b.,  Clifton  Johnson. 
Old  Tales  from  Rome — o.t.r.,  Helen  Zimmern. 
Our  Holidays  from  St.  Nicholas. 

Popular  Tales  from  the  Norse — p.t.n.,  George  Webb  Dasent. 
Rhymes  and  Stories,  Marion  F.  Lansing. 
jRiverside  Series  of  Classics — R.S.,  Horace  E.  Scudder. 
The    Russian    Grandmother's    Stories,    Louise    Seymour 

Houghton. 
School  Reading   by  Grades,  Nos.   I-VIII — s.r.g.,   James' 

Baldwin. 
Silver  Burdeit  Readers,  Nos.  I-V,  Ella  M.   Powers  and 

Thomas  M.  Balliett. 
Six  Nursery  Classics — s.N.c,  M.  V.  O'Shea. 
fStandard  Literature  Series,  Edward  Everett  Hale,  Jr.,  and 

others. 
Stories  and  Tales — S.T.,  Hans  Christian  Andersen. 
Stories  Children  Love,  Charles  Welsh. 
Stories  from  Old  Greece — s.o.c,  Alice  Zimmern. 
Stories  from  the  Arabian  Nights — s.a.n.,  Horace  E.  Scudder. 
Stories  of  the  Red  Children,  Dorothy  Brooks. 
Stories  to  Tell  to  Children — s.T.c,  Sara  Cone  Bryant. 
The  Story  Hour — s.h.,  Kate  Douglas  Wiggin. 
Tales  of  Ancient  Greece — t.a.g.,  George  W.  Cox. 
Tales  of  Laughter;  Tales  of  Wonder,  Kate  Douglas  Wiggin 

and  Nora  A.  Smith. 


142      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 

Tales  of  Mother  Goose— tm.g.,  Charles  Welsh. 

Thirty  More  Famous  Stories — t.m.f.s.,  James  Baldwin. 

The  Tortoise  and  the  Geese  (Fables  of  Bidpai),  Maude 

Barrows  Dutton. 
Uncle  Remus'  Stories,  Joel  Chandler  Harris. 
Wild  Animals  I  Have  Known — w.a.h.k.,  Ernest  Thomson- 

Seton. 
Wonder  Stories — w.s.,  Hans  Christian  Andersen. 
\The   Young  Folks'  Library,  Vols.  I-XXX   (contains  an 

extensive  bibliography),  Thomas  Bailey  Aldrich  and  a 

corps  of  editors. 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Aanrud,  Hans,  Lisbelh  Long/rock, 

91. 
A-Hunting  of  the  Deer,  by  Charles 

Dudley  Warner,  116. 
Alice  in  Wonderland,  by  Charles 

L.  Dodgson,  92. 
Alphabet,  taught  in  First  Grade, 

66. 
American  literature,  special  value 

of,  so. 
Arnold,    Matthew,    Sohrab    and 

R  us  turn.   124. 
Arthur,  King,  stories  of,  116. 
Assignment,  preparation  for,  47; 

should  be  definite,  22,  89,  99, 

107. 

Ballads    and    Ballad   Poetry,    by 

Edward  Everett  Hale,  Jr.,  125. 
Ballads,   A    Book   of  Heroic,   by 

Mary  E.  Tileston,   109. 
Beowulf,  Story  of,  by  John  Gibb, 

91. 
Bible,  read  by  Puritans,  43. 
Biography,  106,  108. 
Blackboard:  use  of,  22,  24;  light 

on,  37;    in  various  grades,  66, 

75- 

Boy  Life,  edited  from  Howells 
by  Percival  Chubb,  100. 

Bunch  of  Herbs,  A,  by  John 
Burroughs,  124. 

Burns,  Robert,  The  Cotter's  Satur- 
day Night,  125. 


Burroughs,  John,  A  Bunch  of 
Herbs,  124;   Sharp  Eyes,  117. 

Byron,  Prisoner  of  Chillon  of,  by 
Edward  Everett  Hale,  Jr.,  125. 

Carroll,  Lewis.  See  Dodgson, 
Charles  L. 

Chaucer's  Canterbury  Pilgrims, 
Story  of,  by  Katherine  Lee 
Bates,  124. 

Children  of  History,  by  Mary  S. 
Hancock,  92. 

Chillon,  Prisoner  of,  by  Lord 
Byron,    125. 

Choice  Literature  for  Grammar 
Grades,  by  Sherman  Williams, 
125. 

Christmas  Carol,  A,  by  Charles 
Dickens,  108. 

Chubb,  Percival,  61,  91,  100. 

Composition:  what  it  is;  aims 
of  study  of,  14-15;  principles  of 
success  in  teaching  of,  15-16; 
means  of  training  in,  17; 
systematic  instruction  in,  17-18; 
conversation,  18;  report  and 
discussion,  18-19;  oral  story, 
19-21;  learning  by  heart, 
21-22;  writing,  22-23;  tech- 
nical work,  23-24;  references 
on,  24-26;  recitation  as  com- 
position, 81;  grammar  and 
composition,  in  the  various 
grades,  24,  32,  90,  98,  107,  114. 


145 


146      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 


Conversation,  18,  40,  63-64,  66, 

73,  81. 
Copying,  21,  24,  74,  82. 
Correction,    23,    24,    82-98,    106, 

113,  114. 
Cotter's     Saturday     Night,     The, 

by  Robert  Burns,  125. 
Cricket   on   the   Hearth,    The,    by 

Charles  Dickens,  117. 
Criticism,   necessary,   15;    should 

be  systematic,  23,  90,  98,   105, 

106,  114,  122. 

David  Copperfield  (Childhood  and 

Youth),  by  Charles  Dickens,  1 24. 
Dearborn,  3. 
Deer,  A-Hunting  of  the,  by  Charles 

Dudley  Warner,  116. 
Defectives,  in  reading,  37. 
Definitions,  29. 
Diacritics:      not     necessary     in 

teaching   phonics,    27;     taught 

with  dictionary,  107. 
Diagrams,  in  grammar,  33. 
Dickens,     Charles:      in     Eighth 

Grade,  124;  A  Christmas  Carol, 

108;   The  Cricket  on  the  Hearth, 

117. 
Dictation,  24,  28-29. 
Dictionary:    teaching  use  of,  29; 

in  reading,  39,  99,  107. 
Discussion,  18,  22,  113. 
Dodgson,    Charles    L.,    Alice   in 

Wonderland,  92. 
Dog  of  Flanders,  A,  by  Louise  de 

la  Ramee,  100. 
Dramatization,    21,    39,    40,    64, 

67,  74,  82,  90,  106. 
Drills,  24,  27,  35,  39,  66,  82. 


Eighth  Grade,  outline  for,  121-28. 

English:  includes  hearing,  speak- 
ing, reading,  and  writing,  6; 
purpose  of,  is  twofold,  7. 

English  grammar:  value  as  a 
school  study,  31;  method  of 
teaching,  30;  danger  of  psy- 
chologizing, 30;  what  to  em- 
phasize in,  30-31;  principles 
to  be  taught  as  needed,  32; 
best  material  for  study  of,  32; 
pupils'  illustrations  in,  32; 
textbook  in,  3  2 ;  order  of  topics 
in,  32-33;  diagrams  in,  33; 
references  on,  33-34;  relation 
to  composition,  24,  32,  90,  98, 
107,  114;  correcting  mistakes 
in,  82;  in  the  various  grades, 
114,  122. 

Etymology,  28,  107. 

Experience:  children  must  learn 
to  use,  45-46;  as  corrective  to 
bookishness,  97;  in  literature  to 
be  made  typical,  45 ;  literature 
is  expression  of,  45. 

Expression,  conditions  growth  in 
language,  17;  in  reading,  39,  91. 

Evangeline,  by  Henry  Wadsworth 
Longfellow,  116. 

Fanciful  Tales,  by  Frank  Stock- 
ton, 100. 

Favorite  Greek  Myths,  by  Lillian 
Hyde,  100. 

Fifth  Grade,  outline  for,  97-103. 

First  Grade,  outline  for,  63-72. 

Folk-literature,  20,  49. 

Formal  discipline,  not  effective  in 
language,  15. 


INDEX 


147 


Forms  in  language,  to  be  taught 

as  needed,  16,  24. 
Fourth  Grade,  outline  for,  89-96. 

Golden  Fleece,  Story  of,  by  James 

Baldwin,  100. 
Grading   of    literature,  5,  50-51, 

76. 

Grammar.    See  English  grammar. 

Grammar  Grades,  Choice  Literature 

for,  by  Sherman  Williams,  125. 

Greek  Myths,  Favorite,  by  Lillian 

Hyde,  100. 

Habit:  in  language,  15;  in  readingf 

35.  36. 
Harris,  Joel  Chandler,  Little  Mr. 

Thimblefinger  Stories,  92. 
Heart  of  Oak  Books,  Vol.  V,  by 

Charles  Eliot  Norton,  125. 
Heidi,   by   Frau  Johanna   Spyri, 

108. 
Herbs,  A   Bunch  of,      by    John 

Burroughs,  124. 
Heroic  Ballads,   A    Book   of,   by 

Mary  E.  Tileston,  109. 
Homer,  Odyssey  of,  by  George  H. 

Palmer,  125. 
Huey,  3. 
Hunting    of    the    Deer,    A-,    by 

Charles  Dudley  Warner,  116. 

Iliad,  The  Story  of,  by  Alfred  J. 

Church,  108. 
Imagination,  trained  by  story,  19. 
Imitation  in  language,  15. 
Introduction     to     the     Study     0 

Literature,    by    Edwin    Lewis, 

125. 


Irving,  Washington:  in  Seventh 
Grade,  116;  Knickerbocker 
Stories    from,     1 16. 

Isolation,  16,  31,  39,  41,  67. 

Ivanhoe,  by  Walter  Scott,  124. 

Julius  Caesar,  by  William  Shake- 
speare, 116. 

Kindergarten,  The,  57-62;  lan- 
guage of  teacher  in,  57-58. 

King  Arthur  Stories  from  Malory, 
by  Lillian  0.  Stevens  and 
Edward  Frank  Allen,  116. 

Knickerbocker  Stories,  Edited  from 
Irving  by  Edward  Everett 
Hale,  Jr.,  116. 

Lady  of  the  Lake,  by  Walter  Scott, 
124. 

Language  in  education:  values; 
peculiarities  of  English  lan- 
guage; influences  on  language; 
present  conditions  for  study  of, 
1 1 ;  linguistic  condition  of  begin- 
ners; the  language  subjects,  12. 

Letter-writing,  22,  82,  90,  98,  106, 
114. 

Lisbcth  Longfrock,  by  Hans  Aan- 
rud,  91. 

Lists:  books  for  reading,  72,  79, 
87,  95;  poems,  70,  78,  86,  97, 
102,  no,  118,  126;  stories, 
68,  76,  84,  92,  101,  109,  116, 
125- 

Literature:  established  as  a 
school  subject.  43;  value  of 
study  of,  42-43;  method  of 
teaching,  44-48;    oral  reading 


148      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 


of,  44;  to  be  taught  by  sugges- 
tion, 44-45;  teaching  struc- 
ture of,  45 ;  to  be  interpreted 
by  experience,  46-47;  should 
demand  sincere  response,  46; 
memorizing  of,  46-47;  prep- 
aration for  teaching  a  lesson 
in,  47;  teaching  of  longer 
selections  of,  47-48;  choice  of, 
for  children,  48-51;  of  the  folk, 
48-49;  myths,  49;  poetry, 
40-50;  American,  50;  grading 
of,  50-51;  voluntary  reading 
of,  51;  connection  of  pictures 
with,  51-52;   references  on,  52. 

Literature,  Introduction  to  the  Study 
of,  by  Edwin  Lewis,  125. 

Little  Mr.  Thimblefinger  Stories, 
by  Joel  Chandler  Harris,  92. 

Lobo,  Rag,  and  Vixen,  by  Ernest 
Thomson-Seton,  108. 

Long,  William  J.,  Woodfolk  at 
School,  100. 

Longfellow,  in  Sixth  Grade, 
Tales  of  a  Wayside  Inn,   108. 

Lowell,  in  Eighth  Grade,  A 
Moosehead  Journal,  124. 

Mabie,  Hamilton  Wright,  Norse 
Stories,  108. 

Malory,  King  Arthur  Stories  from, 
by  Lillian  0.  Stevens  and 
Edward  Frank  Allen,  116. 

Materials:  of  composition,  18;  of 
story-telling,  19-20;  of  spelling, 
27-28;  of  grammar,  32,  122;  of 
reading,  35,  37,  39-41.  83;  of 
literature,  43,  48-51;  in  kinder- 
garten, 59-60. 


Memorizing,    21,  46-47,   65,  67, 

76,  99,  107. 
Merchant  of  Venice,  by  William 

Shakespeare,  124. 
Methods  of  teaching:    composi- 
tion,  15-24;    grammar,  31-33; 

literature,  44-48;    reading,  35- 

41;      word-study,     26-29;      m 

kindergarten,    60-61. 
Models,  18,  97,  106,  114. 
Moosehead  Journal,  A,  by  James 

Russell  Lowell,  124. 
Motivation,  necessary  in  teaching 

composition,  16,  22,  106. 
Myths,  Favorite  Greek,  by  Lillian 

Hyde,  100. 
Myths,  confusion  concerning,  49- 

50. 

Norse  Stories,  by  Hamilton  Wright 
Mabie,  108. 

Odyssey   in   English   Prose,    The, 

by  George  H.  Palmer,   125. 
Oral  composition:    18-22,  63-64, 

81,  89,  97,  105,  113,  121. 
Oral  reading,  36;  expression  in,  39; 

necessary    to  appreciation,  44, 

66,  75,  91.  i°7- 
Originality,  16,  19,  23. 
Outline,   The,    23;    in   study   of 

literature,  45;    in  composition, 

81,  90,  105,  106,  113. 

Palmer,    George   H.,    Odyssey  in 

English  Prose,  125. 
Paragraph,    dictated    to    teacher, 

73;  in  Third  Grade,  81,  106. 


INDEX 


149 


Phonics:  teaching  of,  27;  in 
reading,  37-38,  65,   74,  82,  go. 

Pictures:  in  reading  books,  40; 
in  connection  with  literature, 
51-52;  references  on  study  of, 
54;  basis  for  composition,   74. 

Poe,  Stories  and  Poems  of,  by 
Edward  Everett  Hale,  Jr.,  125. 

Poetry,  to  be  included  in  course, 
49-50;  collections  of,  135-38. 

Poetry  Readers,  by  Katherine  D. 
Blake  and  Georgia  Alexander, 
100,  108. 

Practice:  essential  to  success  in 
any  art,  16. 

Principles  of  language,  taught 
through  use,  16,  18,  19,  32,  73, 
74,  81,  89,  97,  113,  114. 

Prisoner  of  Chillon  of  Byron,  by 
Edward  Everett  Hale,  Jr.,  125. 

Pronunciation:  through  story, 
19;  drills  in,  27,  38,  65,  83,  90, 
ii5- 

Prose,  collections  of,  139-42. 

Punctuation,  22,  32,  74,  82,  98, 
106,  114. 

Pyle,  Howard,  Some  Merry  Ad- 
ventures of  Robin  Hood,  by, 
100. 

Ramee,  Louise  de  la,  A  Dog  of 
Flanders,  100. 

Reading:  meaning  of  the  word, 
35;  danger  of  over-emphasiz- 
ing, 35;  psychological  investi- 
gation of,  35-37;  the  sentence 
in,  36;  "inner-speech"  in,  36; 
complexity  of  process  of,  37; 
informal  methods  of  teaching, 


37;  phonics  in,  37-38;  new  words 
in,  39;  expression  in,  39;  ma- 
terials of,  39-40;  form  of  reading 
book,  40;  isolation  to  be  avoid- 
ed, 41;  references  on,  41-42;  in 
various  grades:  books  for  read- 
ing, 72,  79,  87,  95.  See  oral 
reading. 

Reproduction,  19,  20,  67,  74. 

Rhinegold,  Story  of,  by  Anna  Ray 
Chapin,  84. 

Robin  Hood,  Some  Merry  Adven- 
tures of,  by  Howard  Pyle,  100. 

Robinson  Crusoe,  by  Daniel 
Defoe,  84. 

Scientific  method,  3. 

Scott,  Sir  Walter:   Ivanhoe,  Lady 

of  the  Lake,  124. 
Scudder,  50. 

Second  Grade,  outline  for,  73-80. 
Self-criticism,    23,    90,    98,    114, 

123. 
Seventh  Grade,  outline  for,  113- 

20. 
Shakespeare,      William,      Julius 

Caesar,  116;    Merchant  of  Ven- 
ice, 124;  Tempest,  124. 
Sharp  Eyes  and  Other  Papers,  by 

John  Burroughs,  117. 
Siegfried,     Story    of,     by    James 

Baldwin,  84. 
Sixth  Grade,  outline  for,  105-12. 
Snow-Bound,  by  John  Greenleaf 

Whittier,  116. 
Sohrab  and  Ruslum,  by  Matthew 

Arnold,  124. 
Some  Merry  Adventures  of  Robin 

Hood,  by  Howard  Pyle,  100. 


150      ELEMENTARY  COURSE  IN  ENGLISH 


Spelling,  3;  how  to  teach,  27-28; 
in  various  grades,  66,  75,  82,  go. 

Spyri,   Frau  Johanna,  Heidi,  108. 

Stevenson,  Robert  Louis,  Treas- 
ure Island,  124. 

Stockton,  Frank,  Fanciful  Tales, 
100. 

Stories:  of  King  Arthur,  116; 
of  Beowulf,  91;  Little  Mr. 
Thimblefinger  Stories,  92;  Norse 
Stories,  108;    of  Poe,  125. 

Story:  value  of,  19;  choice  of, 
19-20;  story-telling,  20;  re- 
production by  children,  20-21; 
dramatization,  21;  references 
on,  25;  lists  of  stories,  69,  76, 
84,  92,  101,  109,  117,  125;  in 
various  grades:  Chaucer's  Can- 
terbury Pilgrims,  124;  The 
Golden  Fleece,  100;  of  the  Iliad, 
108;    of  the  Rhinegold,  84. 

Study  of  Literature,  Introduction 
to,  by  Edwin  Lewis,  125. 

Tales  of  a  Wayside  Inn,  by  Henry 
Wadsworth  Longfellow,  108. 

Teacher  of  English,  The:  must  be 
a  student,  7;  must  read  well, 
39,  44;  must  teach  by  sugges- 
tion, 44-45;  should  preserve 
sincerity  of  pupils,  46;  should 
prepare  to  teach  literature,  47; 
influences  pupils  by  her  speech, 
58,  67;  should  read  to  pupils, 
76. 

Technical  work,  16,  23-24,  27- 
29.  31-33.  38,  65,  73-74,  82,  90, 
98-99,   106-7,   114-15- 


Technique,    3,    5-6,    17,    23-24, 

32,  105,  113. 
Tempest,       The,       by       William 

Shakespeare,  124. 
Third  Grade,  outline  for,  81-88. 
Treasure  Island,  by  Robert  Louis 

Stevenson,  124. 
Troy,  Story  of,  84. 

Ulysses,  Story  of,  91. 

Version,  importance  of  securing 
the  best,  20. 

Vocabulary:  through  story,  19;  for 
phonics,  27;  in  spelling,  27;  in 
reading,  39;  in  the  kindergar- 
ten, 57. 

Voluntary  reading,  51,  124. 

Warner,     Charles     Dudley,     A- 

Hunting  of  the  Deer,  116. 
Wayside  Inn,  Tales  of  a,  by  Henry 

Wadsworth  Longfellow,  108. 
Whittier,     John     Greenleaf.      in 

Seventh    Grade:    Snow-Bound, 

116. 
Woodfolk  at  School,   by   William 

J.  Long,  100. 
Word  composition,  Teaching  of, 

28,  107,  115. 
Word-Study:     teaching    of,    27- 

30,  58,  65,  74,  82,  90,  99,  107, 

115,  123.  See  phonics;  spelling; 

word    composition;     dictation; 

dictionary,  etc. 
Written  composition,  teaching  of, 

22-23,  63,  73,  81,  90,  97,  105, 

114. 


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